Tributes to Prodigy frontman Keith Flint: ‘A true pioneer, innovator and legend’
● Neighbours say singer was friendly and an animal lover
Keith Flint has been remembered for both his impact as a musical innovator by colleagues and his friendly demeanour by his neighbours following his death at 49.
Bandmate Liam Howlett said in an Instagram post that Flint took his own life over the weekend, after The Prodigy star was found dead at his Essex home yesterday morning.
In a separate statement, Howlett and fellow bandmate Maxim described Flint, with whom they had worked since the early 1990s, as “a true pioneer, innovator and legend”.
They said that Flint was their “brother and best friend” and that “he will be forever missed”.
Many music stars have paid tribute to Flint, who rose to fame in the Brit Awardwinning electronic band in the 1990s and was known for hits including Firestarter and Breathe.
Electronic music artists Chase And Status and The Chemical Brothers, who are both considered pioneers in the big beat genre along with The Prodigy, were among those sharing tributes for Flint.
Duo Chase and Status, comprised of Saul Milton and Will Kennard, thanked Flint and the group for paving the way for them.
They tweeted: “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Keith and the life-changing music they made and championed. RIP.”
Ed Simons of The Chemical Brothers tweeted: “Oh gosh, so sad to hear about Keith Flint, he was always great fun to be around and very kind to Tom [Rowlands] and I when we first started doing shows together.. great man.”
Flint was a tour de force in the British rave music scene in the 1990s, and was known for his bright green spiky hair, facial piercings and energetic, manic stage performances.
But he has also been described as a friendly animal lover by those who lived near him.
Jane Addison, who lives near Flint’s home in Dunmow, Essex, and walks her dogs along a track next to the property every day, said his death was a “shock”.
Remembering Flint fondly as a “friendly” animal lover, she said: “I don’t know how many dogs he had, maybe eight-ish dogs, and he’d go round the fields on his quad, and when he wanted them to come back to him he’d shout ‘eggs and bacon’.”
She added: “He had lots of birds, canaries… in an aviary.”
Ms addison said she bumped into Flint on her walks, and that he was “friendly, very nice” and that he “always raised a hand and said hello”.
Locals at the pub Flint used to own the lease to, The Leather Bottle in Pleshey, Essex, recalled The Prodigy star’s “larger-than-life character”.
Les Taylor, who moved to the area three years ago with his wife, said he first met Flint in the village pub.
Inside the pub, he said the music star was sociable and “liked to mingle with people”.
Of his first sighting of Flint, Mr Taylor added: “We were sitting here one day and this guy came strolling in and it was Keith.
“He was only a little fella, about five foot seven, he had a cap covering his hair, I think he had riding boots on, he’d come down on his horse from his house up the next village, and he said ‘Hello everyone, how the f*** are ya?”
“That was the way his character was, very spicy, very friendly.”
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Keith and the life-changing music they made and championed. RIP”
CHASE AND STATUS