EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)
– Dwayne Goettel, keyboard player for the influential Canadian rock band Skinny Puppy, has died of a heroin overdose. He was 31. Goettel was discovered Wednesday collapsed on the floor of his family's home in Edmonton, where he had been vacationing, his father, Rudy Goettel, said Friday. Formed in Vancouver in "1983", Skinny Puppy was a pioneer of industrial rock, rooted in computer-generated music, and was a strong influence on such American bands as Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. Its cryptic lyrics and claustrophobic sound became a powerful Force shaping alternative rock music. Kevin Ogilvie, Skinny Puppy's former lead singer, said in a statement he was devastated by news of Goettel's death, whom he described as the ``little known genius behind the curtain'' of the band. ``I am truly sorry for Dwayne's family and hope he is remembered as being extremely sensitive and a beautiful gifted person, an artist whose talent and offerings were cut short by drugs,'' Ogilvie said. Goettel played the trumpet in his high school band in High Level, Alberta, but his musical interest blossomed when the family moved to Edmonton, where he learned piano and began performing on the local music scene. A spokesperson for American Recording, Skinny Puppy's label, said the band's ninth full-length album would be released at the end of the year. Rudy Goettel said his son had just finished work in Los Angeles on an album for another rock group, Download.

Skinny Puppy Web Ring [ Join Now | Ring Hub | Random | << Prev | Next >> ]

Prev.  Next  Random  Site Hub  Home

Previous Next Random Site Index Home