Can’s Holger Czukay Dead At 79

Michael Putland/Getty

Can’s Holger Czukay Dead At 79

Michael Putland/Getty

Holger Czukay, bassist and cofounder of the pioneering Krautrock band Can, has died. According to Cologne newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, he was found dead in his home in Weilerwist, Germany, a former movie theater that also served as Can’s Inner Space Studio. He was 79.

Born in the Free City Of Danzig, now Gda?sk, Poland, in 1938, Czukay studied under experimental music legend Karlheinz Stockhausen for three years before founding Can in 1968 alongside Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli, and David C. Johnson, who soon departed. In addition to playing bass, Czukay engineered and recorded most of Can’s discography before quitting the band in 1977.

After his departure from Can, Czukay pursued a solo career, pioneering the use of samples and incorporating shortwave radio sounds into his ambient compositions. He collaborated with other musicians including Jah Wobble, David Sylvian, U.N.K.L.E, Brian Eno, and Eurythmics, and his last solo album, Eleven Years Innerspace, came out in 2015.

Czukay’s death follows the passing of Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit earlier this year. Revisit some of his work below.

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