Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill dead at 64
Andy Gill, a founding member, and guitarist for the famous post-punk outfit Gang of Four has died on Saturday in London. He was 64.
Gill's bandmates Thomas McNeice, John Sterry and Tobias Humble announced the sad news Saturday on Twitter. As Rolling Stone writes, a rep for the band said that Gill died at a hospital following a short respiratory illness.
“This is so hard for us to write, but our great friend and Supreme Leader has died today,” the band wrote. “Andy’s final tour in November was the only way he was ever really going to bow out; with a Stratocaster around his neck, screaming with feedback and deafening the front row.”
The band continued, “One of the best to ever do it, his influence on guitar music and the creative process was inspiring for us, as well as everyone who worked alongside him and listened to his music. And his albums and production work speak for themselves. Go give ’em a spin for him…”
“Andy, often cited as one of the world’s greatest guitarists, left his mark on his own music, as founding member of Gang of Four,” a rep for the band added. “In pioneering the band’s sparse, jagged sound and looping feedback, Andy also inspired and informed generations of musicians. A ground-breaking composer and a brilliantly innovative producer, he worked with artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Stranglers, the Futureheads, Michael Hutchence, Bono, Therapy and the Young Knives.”
This is the great loss for the music industry, as band's dissonant yet danceable music was a big inspiration for the post-punk outfits to come. They have revolutionized both playing and writing in punk by combining catchy melodies with politically charged lyrics.
