ANDY GILL, 1956-2020

Musician and producer Andy Gill, best known as the guitarist for U.K. band Gang of Four, has died of a respiratory illness, according to a post from his bandmates. He was 64.

Gill's fiery, angular playing with Gang of Four made him that rare thing: a post-punk guitar hero. Breaking his parts down into minimalist shards of sound, he used fragmented chords, feedback and percussive effects to create something entirely new, processing elements borrowed from Hendrix, R&B, funk and avant-garde sounds. He was the only founding member of the group (which formed in Leeds in 1976) to continue playing through all of its incarnations; this writer witnessed performances that were decades apart, and Gill's playing and presence were never anything short of mesmerizing.

His bandmates heralded the Manchester-born musician as “one of the best to ever do it … We’ll remember him for his kindness and generosity, his fearsome intelligence, bad jokes, mad stories and endless cups of darjeeling tea. He just so happened to be a bit of a genius too.”

He was also a versatile producer, helming recordings by The Red Chili Peppers, The Stranglers, The Jesus Lizard, Michael Hutchence and The Balancing Act, among others.

Gill is survived by his wife, Catherine Mayer and his brother Martin.

Andy Gill. pic.twitter.com/DHNCz5lAe6

— GANG OF FOUR (@gangof4official) February 1, 2020