Mark Hollis, Talk Talk’s frontman, has died at the age of 64, it has been announced.
The musician’s death was confirmed by his longtime manager, Keith Aspden.
He told the BBC: “Mark has died after a short illness from which he never recovered.
“I can’t tell you how much Mark influenced and changed my perceptions on art and music.
“I’m grateful for the time I spent with him and for the gentle beauty he shared with us.”
His comments come after Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb paid tribute to his former bandmate on Instagram, writing: “I am very shocked and saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Hollis. Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him.”
He added: “I have not seen Mark for many years, but like many musicians of our generation I have been profoundly influenced by his trailblazing musical ideas. He knew how to create depth of feeling with sound and space like no other. He was one of the greats, if not the greatest.”
As well as providing vocals on Talk Talk’s classic synth pop hits including It’s My Life, Life’s What You Make It and Talk Talk, Mark also played guitar and piano and was the band’s main songwriter.
The band disbanded in 1991, after which Mark released a self-titled solo album in 1998 before retiring from music.
News of Mark’s death was first reported by Anthony Costello, believed to be his cousin-in-law, who wrote: “RIP Mark Hollis. Cousin-in-law. Wonderful husband and father. Fascinating and principled man. Retired from the music business 20 years ago but an indefinable musical icon.”
As unconfirmed reports of his death emerged, stars of the music world paid tribute, including fellow 80s stars Duran Duran, who praised his “truly great songs”.
Watch the video for It’s My Life below...