Florian Schneider Co-Founder Of Kraftwerk Passed Away At 73

RIP

Florian Schneider, co-founder of the highly influential electronic band Kraftwerk, passed away at 73 years old following a battle with cancer.

The group said in a statement to CNN via publicist Alexandra Greenberg, “Kraftwerk co-founder and electro pioneer Ralf Hütter has sent us the very sad news that his friend and companion over many decades Florian Schneider has passed away from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday.”

Schneider, along with Ralf Hütter, formed Kraftwerk and went on to become forefathers of electronic music. They were some of the first to incorporate the use of vocoders, synthesizers, and drum machines to their sound. Three of their albums – 1974’s Autobahn, 1977’s Trans-Europe Express, and 1978’s The Man-Machine became classics and helped solidify their status as legends in electro-pop.

Kraftwerk influenced countless artists including David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, and New Order. It was also reported that Michael Jackson once proposed a collaboration with them but the band turned him down.

Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook told NME: “We were in the same hotel as Kraftwerk. I remember being in the queue to check in and looking at Florian Schneider and the way he was dressed in this futuristic nylon suit. I was thinking, ‘You’re off duty, mate, and taking it too far’. But I didn’t speak. I wouldn’t have known what to say to someone who has inspired me so much. It’s the saddest thing in the world that he’d died.”