A light turns off: The Prodigy

Many musicians came together to say their last farewell to a fellow artist who inspired many of them. Keith Flint, lead vocalist of The Prodigy was found dead in his home this Monday 4, in Essex, England.

The 49-year-old musician always struggled with “dark periods” and apparent depression issues. In a very haunting final interview he mentioned his troubled childhood and described himself as a “kind of court jester meets asylum escapee”

He even added “I’m not saving up for anything, I’m cashing it all now” – “I’ve always had this thing inside me that, when I’m done, I’ll kill myself”. His depression problems had been getting worse after his separation from his wife Mayumi Kai, even leading him to start taking drugs again and to put their Essex farmhouse for sale.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend,” wrote Liam Howlett, band’s founder, and main musician, adding that he felt “shell-shocked… angry, confused and heartbroken.”,

The Prodigy started up in 1990 by the keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett, and over the years they0ve had seven Np. 1 albums in Britain. They sold over 30 million records and their latest album “No Tourists” was also a number one in Britain’s charts. The band was a key element in the electronic and rave culture starting up in Britain from the late-80’s and through the years.

As the British government was trying to clamp down the country’s rave scene due to its apparent relation to drug use as well as other criminal activities, the band’s second album “Music for the Jilted Generation” managed to capture the soul of the entire movement and the rebel spirit of the youth.

Keith Flint’s vocals were the spark that made the band rise into popularity, with their song “Firestarter”, The Prodigy changed the rave style music movement by mixing it with rock guitars. This made the rave culture even more popular, similarly as it happened before with the punk culture. Overall a career full of controversies that ended up in a shockingly harsh note.

Flint’s life was a rough roller coaster, with brighter times, and sometimes darker ones involving depression and prescription drugs. Back in 2009 he even told The Times of London in an interview that he had been suicidal once.

Musicians from Skrillex to James Blunt posted their response to the announcement claiming that he was a big inspiration for them, even giving them the courage to get into music in the first place. Most of them claimed that the artist was also an incredibly kind, caring and fun person. He will be remembered for years to come for his legacy, his music, his personality and his legendary double mohawk haircut A great musician, artist, excellent frontman and overall, a true Prodigy of the electronic music.