Kraftwerk cofounder Florian Schneider has died aged 73

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  • The German electro pioneer has passed away "from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday" last month, Ralf Hütter confirms.
  • Kraftwerk cofounder Florian Schneider has died aged 73 image
  • Kraftwerk cofounder Florian Schneider has died. According to a statement by Schneider's Kraftwerk cofounder Ralf Hütter, the renowned German artist "passed away from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday," which was April 7th. Word of Schneider's passing began circulating social media on Wednesday, May 6th, after British musician Mark Reeder shared a now-deleted tribute post. Billboard confirmed the news a few hours later. Schneider and Ralf Hütter founded the pioneering electro project Kraftwerk in 1970. David Bowie named the track "V-2 Schneider" after the German artist on his pivotal 1977 album Heroes. Schneider quit Kraftwerk in 2009, while Hütter continued to tour with Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert and Falk Grieffenhagen. The 50th anniversary 3-D live tour was planned to take place this year, although it has since been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Listen to our Introduction To Kraftwerk playlist.
    This post has been updated to include Hutter's statement.
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