Prodigy star Keith Flint – famous for hit 90s song Firestarter – is found dead at his Essex home aged 49 after ‘taking his own life’
- Singer and dancer found fame in the 1990s for his energetic performances and outlandish hairstyles
- Police and paramedics were called to his home in Essex this morning amid ‘concerns for his welfare’
- Flint, who was 49, was found unconscious inside the country property. Police have yet to say how he died
- Bandmate Liam Howlett posts: ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this but our brother Keith took his own life’
- Essex Police, whose officers remain at the scene near Dunmow, are not treating the death as suspicious
Keith Flint, the iconic frontman of the 1990s electronic band The Prodigy, has been found dead at his country home today after taking his own life aged 49, heartbroken bandmates have said.
The singer was discovered unconscious at the property near Dunmow, Essex at around 8am this morning, after police were called over what they described as ‘concerns for his welfare’.
Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.
Bandmate Liam Howlett later wrote on the band’s Instagram page: ‘The news is true, I can’t believe I’m saying this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend. I’m shell shocked , f***** angry, confused and heart broken….. r.i.p brother’
Flint became one of the faces of 1990s rave when his energetic dance style and punk haircuts made him one of the chart’s most recognisable characters. His band were best known for their fast-paced songs including Firestarter, Breathe and Smack My B**** Up.
Keith Flint, the colourful frontman of the band The Prodigy (pictured in 2001), has been found dead at his home this morning
Flint, who was 49, was pictured with fans last month during a tour of Australia. His band planned to tour the US next month
The band posted this message on Instagram this morning, suggesting the star had taken his own life over the weekend
An Essex Police spokesperson said: ‘We were called to concerns for the welfare of a man at an address in Brook Hill, North End, just after 8.10am on Monday
‘We attended and, sadly, a 49-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.
‘The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’
The local ambulance service said they also attended Flint’s house after he was found unconscious, but paramedics were unable to save him.
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An East of England Ambulance spokeswoman said: ‘We were called at 8.08am with reports of a man who was unconscious in Brook Hill, Dunmow.
‘We sent an ambulance officer, Essex and Herts Air Ambulance and one ambulance. Sadly a man in his forties died at the scene.’
The band said in a statement: ‘It is with deepest shock and sadness that we can confirm the death of our brother and best friend Keith Flint.
‘A true pioneer, innovator and legend. He will be forever missed. We thank you for respecting the privacy of all concerned at this time.’
Police have not yet confirmed how the star, pictured (left) in 2011 and (right) in 2015, died. But they say the death is not being treated as suspicious
Flint (left), with bandmates Maxim and Liam Howlett at The Kerrang Awards in 2006
Flint’s outlandish style had mellowed in recent years. He is pictured, left, with wife Mayumi Kai in 2009, and right, in 2001
Flint was found dead at his mansion (pictured) in the Essex countryside this morning. Bandmates said he took his own life
Stars from around the world of music and showbusines reacted with sadness to news of Flint’s death this morning.
Actress Kathy Burke tweeted: ‘He did what all music stars are meant to do; he frightened your mums and dads. RIP Keith Flint.’
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 and I when we first started doing shows together.. great man.’
Radio broadcaster Jo Whiley tweeted: ‘Oh this is sad news. The death of Keith Flint. Whenever our paths crossed he was an absolute sweetheart. Really lovely. Incredible iconic frontman with a soft centre. #RIPKeithFlint.’
Electronic music duo Chase and Status said: ‘Absolutely devastated to hear the tragic news that the legend Keith Flint from @the-prodigy has passed away.
‘Our thoughts & condolences are with all his friends and family. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Keith and the life changing music they made and championed. RIP.’
A number of stars from the world of music have paid tribute to Flint online, calling him ‘iconic, legendary and innovative’
DJ Nick Grimshaw posted this photo of the star in the Firestarter video and told how The Prodigy changed his life
The Prodigy had recently returned to the UK from a tour of Australia and were planning to head out to South and North America for a series of concerts next month.
They planned to tour a number of festivals in Europe this summer before playing at Clapham’s South West Four event in August.
In an interview in November, bandmate Liam Howlett insisted they were not a ‘retro band’ and strived to give their newest music a freshness.
He said: ‘We’re not a band that are embarrassed of our roots. We own that sound, we created it. We’re not interested in reinventing ourselves, because we’re happy with ourselves – we don’t need to.’
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Frontman helped bring rave music into the mainstream but swapped sweaty venues for country pub life in middle age
As the lead singer of The Prodigy, Keith Flint carried the sound of British rave music from an insular community of party-goers to an international audience – selling 30 million records worldwide in the process.
Keith Charles Flint was born on September 17 1969 in Redbridge, East London. As a child he moved to Braintree, Essex, where he met The Prodigy co-founder Liam Howlett at a nightclub.
They discussed music and realised they shared a taste for harder, club-ready sounds.
Originally a dancer for the group, Flint was promoted to singer after he provided the vocals on the band’s song Firestarter, a track which propelled them to the mainstream.
The Prodigy were one of the most famous acts to emerge from the 1990s underground rave scene and go mainstream
The Prodigy, pictured left in 1997, grew out of the underground rave scene. Flint carried his inimitable style into later life
When the band released the video for the 1996 single, Flint’s performance was deemed too scary for children – meaning many music TV stations wouldn’t play it until after 9pm.
Alongside band-mates Howlett and Maxim, Flint – known for his energetic and deranged performance style, shocking green hair and tattoos – became the face of British rave.
While the group were spoken of as bedfellows with other commercial dance acts like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, they pioneered a harsher, more abrasive sound.
They reached number one in the singles charts with tracks Firestarter and Breathe in 1996, and went on to score seven number one albums.
But these songs were not usual dance pop fodder, instead drawing from sonic sounds inspired by the UK’s illegal rave scene.
Known for their overt anti-establishment stance as much for their music, The Prodigy were vocal critics of the UK’s Criminal Justice And Public Order Act 1994, which banned the raves popularised following the so-called second summer of love in 1988 and 1989.
And despite being accepted by the mainstream, they never submitted to the whims of passing musical fashion.
The group reached the height of their fame in 1996, when hits Breathe and Firestarter reached the top of the charts
As well as being famous for his music, fast-living Flint also raced bikes as a speedway racer. He is pictured racing in 2013
The Essex band has never wholly belonged to any genre. Whether it was the emergent rave scene at the start of the nineties, Britpop later in the decade through to more recent dubstep and EDM – they were lurking, all the time selling millions of records and just as many tickets for their incendiary live shows.
In 2014 Flint bought and renovated The Leather Bottle pub in the Essex village of Pleshey.
He reportedly had a jar that customers had to put a pound into every time they made a ‘firestarter’ joke when he lit the pub’s fire.
The group released their seventh consecutive number one album in November 2018.
All but one of their studio albums hit the top spot in the UK charts, as well as a singles collection released in 2005.
This placed them alongside musical heroes including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Coldplay and George Michael, each with seven number one records.
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