Martin Phillipps, the founder of the popular New Zealand rock band The Chills, has died, the band said on social media. Phillipps was 61.
“It is with broken hearts the family and friends of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly,” the band posted on X Sunday, July 28. “The family ask for privacy at this time. Funeral arrangements will be advised in due course.”
While a cause of death was not given, Pitchfork reports that Phillipps battled liver disease for several years after a life-threatening experience with hepatitis C in the 1990s.
Flying Nun Records, The Chills’ former record label, said Phillipps died at his hone in Dunedin, New Zealand over the weekend.
“Martin was a single-minded talent who took all components of a musical career seriously: song writing, performance and in the studio,” the record label wrote on Facebook Sunday. “Gone too soon, he will be greatly missed.”
Phillipps and The Chills, which was founded in 1980, are credited with helping to define New Zealand music in the 1980s.
The band’s top 10 studio albums in their homeland include “Submarine Bells“ (1990), “Soft Bomb“ (1992), “Snow Bound” (2018) and “Scatterbrain” (2021).
Their most successful singles include “Pink Frost,” “Doledrums” (both 1984), “I Love My Leather Jacket” (1986), “Heavenly Pop Hit” (1990) and “Male Monster from the Id” (1992).
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
