The Fall’s founder and lead singer Mark E. Smith dies

Mark E. Smith performing with The Fall at Bloomberg Space, London in 2008. Pic: Kirsteen/Wikimedia Commons

The Manchester post-punk band’s eccentric frontman has died at the age of 60, after suffering from ill health throughout 2017

Mark E Smith, the musical maverick and frontman of Manchester post-punk band The Fall, has died aged 60. The cause of death is yet to be announced, but Smith had been suffering from ill health throughout 2017. The Fall were forced to cancel tour dates due to what the band’s manager Pamela Vander AKA Pam Van Damned referred to at the time as Smith’s “bizarre and rare medical issues”.

The influence that The Fall and Smith have across music can be traced from their post-punk roots in 1976, through the electronic 80s and the Britpop 90s, to the new generation of 21st century indie bands. Championed by John Peel, the band have been held in high esteem by many of their modern contemporaries with the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Gorillaz and Franz Ferdinand citing them as influences.

With an impressive back catalogue of 32 albums and over 60 musicians playing a part in his band’s tremulous history, it’s safe to say that Smith was a prolific and creative force to be reckoned with, uncompromising in his vision. His former bandmate and ex-wife Brix Smith Start put it best in her post on Twitter…

pic.twitter.com/fVMznDerWq

— Brix Smith Start (@Brixsmithstart) January 25, 2018

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