Talk Talk Frontman Mark Hollis Passes Away At 64
“Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him."
Mark Hollis, frontman of UK outfit Talk Talk, has passed away at the age of 64.
According to The Guardian, Hollis cousin-in-law, Anthony Costello, revealed the news in a tweet on Monday writing, "Wonderful husband and father. Fascinating and principled man. Retired from the music business 20 years ago but an indefinable musical icon".
Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb took to Instagram this morning to pay tribute to the singer.
"Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him," Webb's post reads.
"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."
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After unveiling their first single, Mirror Man, Talk Talk quickly followed it up with their debut album, The Party's Over, in 1982.
The band would go on to release four more studio albums, with the last being 1991's Laughing Stock. They would break up the following year.
With their 1988-released fourth LP, Spirit Of Eden, Talk Talk's synth-pop sound radically changed and the band experimented with a sound that was later considered an influence on the early post-rock scene.
Some of Talk Talk's best known songs include It's My Life, Such A Shame and the eponymous single Talk Talk.
No Doubt famously covered It's My Life in 2003, which landed in the top ten of the US music charts and remained on the Hot 100 list for over six months.
Tributes have begun to flow following news of Hollis' passing this morning.
RIP Mark Hollis, massive influence, gone too soon, legacy is enormous. PD pic.twitter.com/am9PRjtuXw
— Paul Draper (@PaulDraper) February 25, 2019
Very sad to hear that Mark Hollis has died. You might have experienced the wonder of those final three Talk Talk albums but his 1998 solo album is just as beautiful and has been an endless source of musical and conceptual inspiration to us.
— Field Music (@fieldmusicmusic) February 25, 2019
Sad news about Mark Hollis. So much beautiful music https://t.co/5I8s98RI6F
— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) February 25, 2019
Goodbye Mark Hollis,We owe you so much ,I cant overstate the influence on us three as musicians and us as a band.#markhollis #talktalk
— Doves (@dovesmusicblog) February 25, 2019
one of the most amazing writers of my generation. I was lucky enough to spend some time with him at our studios September Sound in the 90s when he was working on new music. This is incredible. https://t.co/PVAU1yk2CZ
— Bella Union (@bellaunion) February 25, 2019
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