Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider dead at 73

Posted By: Staff
May 6, 2020 @ 12:19 pm
Music News

Kraftwerk promotional image from 1975; Florian Schneider, third from left; Stara/Kraftwerk/Getty Images

Kraftwerk promotional image from 1975; Florian Schneider, third from left; Stara/Kraftwerk/Getty ImagesKraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider has died at age 73, Variety reports.

According to a statement from the German group, Schneider died “from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday.”

Schneider created Kraftwerk in 1970 alongside Ralf Hütter. The massively impactful band helped pioneer electronic music, and have been cited as a major influence by artists across countless genres. David Bowie, for example, named his “Heroes” song “V-2 Schneider” after Schneider.

Kraftwerk’s most successful album was 1974’s Autobahn, which peaked at number five on the Billboard200 and produced a top-25 U.S. hit with its title track.

Schneider left Kraftwerk in 2008, though the group continues with Hütter to this day. In 2014, the duo was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Kraftwerk has also been repeatedly nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but has yet to be inducted.