Following Monday’s reports, it has been confirmed that the co-founder and frontman of Talk Talk, Mark Hollis, has died.
Hollis’ former manager Keith Aspden confirmed that the iconic post-rock vocalist died following a short illness.
Aspden told NPR, “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.”
Hollis was 64 years old.
See a few of the tribute posts from those inspired by the work of Hollis, and those close to him, below.
mark hollis was a genius. nobody made music that sounded like his. please spend time listening to his work. this one hurts. badly. pic.twitter.com/y3DXJvASIz
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.
Mark Hollis captured so many of us with his haunting approach to song and the compelling ways he presented simplistic mountains of sound. He was an educator of emotion and a voice for the blood throat shadows of tomorrow. This is a loss amongst many.
Trying to find the words to express my sadness about the passing of #MarkHollis#TalkTalk Hearing Spirit Of Eden blew my 18 year old mind to such a degree I set out to try and learn how on earth they had created this transcendent masterpiece. That search turned into a career.
Mark Hollis is up there with Neil Young/Sonny Sharrock/Hendrix for most physical/blasting minimalism/spiritual guitar solos. No matter how far out every phrase belongs. Fucking….bummer. True head
Go listen to Talk Talk’s last 3 albums: The Colour Of Spring, Spirit Of Eden, and Laughing Stock in honour of Mark Hollis. You’ll want to catch your breath because your head spins so much. They followed no rules, knew no boundaries, and dedicated themselves to innovation. pic.twitter.com/vuczJ9j0FE
