Published
Thu, Nov 25, 2010, 15:00
- The co-founder of Coil and Throbbing Gristle died last night in his sleep.
According to reports, Coil and Throbbing Gristle co-founder Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson died last night at his home in Bangkok.
The 55-year-old artist had a long and varied career in the avant-garde. He got his start doing graphic design for Hipgnosis, a British agency that produced iconic sleeve designs for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Yes among others. In 1975, he co-founded the massively influential proto-industrial outfit Throbbing Gristle with Chris Carter, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis P-Orridge. After the group disbanded in 1981, he teamed up with Throbbing Gristle fan John Balance to form Coil, another influential industrial group that remained prolific throughout the '80s and '90s. In 2005 he moved to Bangkok where he began his final musical project, a one-man audio-visual act called The Threshold HouseBoys Choir.
Christopherson was also active in film throughout his career, directing numerous music videos, documentaries and TV adverts. Along with fellow Throbbing Gristle member Chris Carter, he credited himself with designing his own keyboard-triggered sampler before such a thing was commercially available.
According to reports, the 55-year-old died peacefully in his sleep, though the cause of his death has not been announced.