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Tim Smith, the singer of cult British group Cardiacs, died Tuesday night (July 22), The Guardian reports, citing Smith’s bandmates and label. He was 59. Although no cause of death has been provided, Smith had experienced health problems since suffering a heart attack and stroke in 2008. “We are comforted by the fact that he left us quietly, albeit suddenly,” said Mary Wren, of Cardiacs’ label Alphabet Business Concern.
Loved and hated by listeners and critics, Cardiacs amassed a cult following in the 1980s, pivoting between prog and punk-fuelled rock in audacious, sprawling, sometimes orchestral compositions. Their live shows staged absurdist spectacles drawing from musical theater and provincial British twee. They continued to release records into the 1990s, attracting fans in Blur and Faith No More, and toured until 2007, with Smith backed by a rotating cast of musicians.
After his heart attack the following year, Smith suffered brain damage and spent much of his life in pain. Speaking to The Quietus in 2018, he compared his condition to “wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you with electrical pulses going all the time.”
“His fans adored him,” label representative Mary Wren said in a statement. “He changed people for the better. He saved lives. His music was a refuge for those in need and he never locked his door or turned anyone away. I feel as if church bells across the land should be ringing out his name.”