Tributes have been paid to Suicide vocalist Alan Vega, who died in his sleep on Saturday night, aged 78.
From their 1977 self-titled debut album, Suicide have been credited with influencing a wide variety of musical movements during the following decades. “Alan was not only relentlessly creative, writing music and painting until the end, he was also startlingly unique,” a statement from Henry Rollins remembered on behalf of the family.
“Along with Martin Rev, in the early 1970’s, they formed the two person avant band known as Suicide. Almost immediately, their incredible and unclassifiable music went against every possible grain.”
“Their confrontational live performances, light-years before Punk Rock, are the stuff of legend. Their first, self-titled album is one of the single most challenging and noteworthy achievements in American music.”
Rollins’ statement also confirmed Vega had died ‘peacefully’ in his sleep, survived by ‘his amazing family’.