The Catch-up: Prodigy frontman Keith Flint 'took his own life'

What happened?
Keith Flint, the iconic frontman of the 1990s band The Prodigy, has been found dead at his home after reportedly taking his own life. In an Instagram post published under the group’s official account, his bandmates said the singer, aged 49, had killed himself at the weekend.

A true pioneer

The Prodigy played a central part in the rave scene of the 1990s before achieving mainstream recognition. The band was founded by Flint and Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex and boasted multiple international hits, including: ‘Firestarter,’ ‘Breathe,’ ‘Smack my B**** Up’ and ‘Voodoo People.’ Known as ‘the Godfathers of rave,’ they sold an estimated 30 million albums worldwide – with much of their success driven by Flint’s extreme on-stage persona. Tributes have flooded in following his death with the band describing him as “a true pioneer, innovator and legend”.

‘When I’m done I’ll kill myself’

Flint was known to have lived a life that was an extreme as his performances on stage and he spoke openly in the past about battling his demons. He told The Times in 2009: “I’ve always had mental problems, so to speak. I’m incredibly self-destructive. I got bang into coke, weed, drinking a lot. This made me reclusive, boring and shallow. I’d line up rows of pills and just take them and take them and I’d lose track of how many until I passed out.”

In a 2015 interview with FHM, the singer discussed the future, saying: “I’m cashing it all now. I’ve always had this thing inside me that, when I’m done, I’ll kill myself. I swear to God that’s not suicidal – it’s definitely a positive thing. The moment I start s******* the bed is when you’ll see me on the front of a bus. I just want to look back and know that I’ve lived what I consider a fulfilled life.”

Read more about this story

Prodigy frontman Keith Flint dies, aged 49 (The Telegraph)
Keith Flint: The neon demon who started a fire under British pop (The Guardian)
The legacy: The Prodigy’s five greatest tracks (Evening Standard)
Keith Flint was a legend from another dimension (Esquire)

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