Esteemed German producer Pete Namlook has died of as-yet unknown causes.

The man born Peter Kuhlmann ("Namlook" is his name pronounced backwards) was an incredibly prolific artist from the '90s on, releasing some 130 albums over the course of his career. These included numerous collaborations with artists like Richie Hawtin, Uwe Schmidt (as Atom Hart), Biosphere and Move D among many others. He also ran his own label, FAX +49-69/450464 (often known simply as Fax), which released more than 100 CDs and records in its first year of operation. Working on his own, Kuhlmann's style was heavily influenced by Germany's kosmische tradition and artists like Brian Eno, as well as classical and Eastern music.

Kuhlmann's daughter Fabia released this brief statement to RA earlier today: "It is with much grief that we announce the passing of Peter Kuhlmann, AKA Pete Namlook. We are still shocked and are working on an official announcement that will follow soon to bring clarity to our minds. As word spreads on the internet more and more we just want to make clear that he died peacefully from as yet unspecified causes on 8th November 2012. We will announce more details as and when they surface."

Kuhlmann was 51 years old. He was an inspiration to countless producers around the world, and his death comes as a big loss not only to those who knew or worked with him, but to the electronic music community as a whole. Our thoughts are with his family and everyone who was close to him.