Florian Schneider-Esleben, co-founder of electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, dies at 73
Florian Schneider-Esleben, a co-founder of German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, has died, record label Sony said Wednesday. He was 73.
Citing fellow group founder Ralf Huetter, Sony said that Schneider-Esleben had been suffering from cancer, German news agency dpa reported.
Schneider-Esleben and Huetter started working together in 1968. In 1970, they founded the Kling-Klang-Studio in Duesseldorf and launched Kraftwerk.
Schneider-Esleben was involved in Kraftwerk albums including Autobahn, Radio-Activity, Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine and Tour de France. He left Kraftwerk in 2008.
Kraftwerk won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 2014.
Tributes flowed in from musicians, including Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark.
Such an important influence upon so much of the music we know, from Bowie, to electronica, much of the 80s and beyond into modern techno and rap, Florian Schneider was forging a new Metropolis of music for us all to live in. RIP #FlorianSchneider #Kraftwerk pic.twitter.com/y2nXuAY66e
— Gary Kemp (@garyjkemp) May 6, 2020
We are absolutely devastated to learn that one of our heroes Florian Schneider has passed away. pic.twitter.com/Y2dnYfxkj8
— Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (@OfficialOMD) May 6, 2020