Tim Smith has died at the age of 59.
He was the frontman of influential British rock band Cardiacs.
Tim suffered a heart attack years ago and had difficulty with his speech and movement.
The musician was best known for his time in Cardiacs, but was also a record producer and music video director.
Tim, who was born in Surrey in 1961, began his musical career in 1975, as the guitarist of a nameless instrumental band with his school friends.
He later formed Cardiacs alongside his brother James ‘Jim’ Smith, Michael Pugh and Peter Tagg.
The line up changed over the years.
He recorded his first album under the band name Cardiac Arrest, which they later decided to change.
The first Cardiacs album, Toy World, landed in 1981 after they recorded it at a small basement studio called Crow Studios.
The band went on to release around 30 albums and singles throughout their career, with the last coming in 2007 in the form of single Dirty Scene.
Their releases included eight studio albums and a string of live albums.
Tim also worked with other bands, such as The Sea Nymphs and OceanLandWorld.
After news of his sad death, many fans took to Twitter to pay tribute.
One wrote: “Incredibly sad to hear about the passing of Cardiacs’ Tim Smith. A unique musical mind, a wonderful man. What a s**t day. But he’ll always be the dazzling light at the centre of a huge musical family.”
Another posted: “It’s f**king tragic that someone so influential, creative, and admirable died not only never saw the success he deserved, but suffered through such horrific illness. Long may he live”
Tim had stepped back from making music in 2008 after developing rare neurological disorder dystonia.
It came about as a result of hypoxic brain damage from a heart attack.
The condition left his dexterity impaired as well as his ability to speak.
Tim opened up about how his condition affected him in an interview in 2017.
He told tQ: “I’ve got the luck of the worm that never dies. After all, who would be as lucky as I to have a bunch of people who have just waited ten years for news of my recovery. In my book, that show of faith would be the fattest lump of faith what anyone could endure.
“Some days I can cope with it, if I’m mentally able to. I’ve not even told the kids which I’m pretty ashamed of and all I can say is that I’m sorry. I had no idea how much I actually meant to all these incredible people and have been trying to know what they mean to me.
“The only way I can try and let you know how I feel at the moment is… imagine if you were wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you with electrical pulses going all the time. This is what my body feels like unless I fall asleep.”
