CAN and Spoon Records have confirmed the unexpected passing of founding member Holger Czukay on Tuesday 5 September.
Holger, born on 24 March 1938 in Poland, studied under the composer Stockhausen before changing musical history as part of Can alongside Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit, who formed in Cologne in 1968. Holger Czukay left the band in 1977 to work on his own solo career and went on to collaborate with the likes of Conny Plank, David Sylvian, Jah Wobble and Eurthymics (he and Jaki Liebezeit, who passed away in January this year, performed on their debut album).
Holger Czukay’s pioneering production, influence and humour has touched all music genres, and artists today have been paying tribute to him and his incredible talent.