Keith Flint, Singer Of Electronic Band The Prodigy, Dies

LONDON β€” Keith Flint, lead singer of dance-electronic band The Prodigy, has been found dead at his home near London. He was 49.

Flint was the stage persona of the band, whose hits β€œFirestarter” and β€œBreathe” fused techno, breakbeat and acid house music. The band sold 30 million records, taking rave music from an insular community of party-goers and bringing it to an international audience.

The energetic frontman was also known for his distinctive look: black eyeliner and hair spiked into two horns.

β€œA true pioneer, innovator and legend,” the band said in a statement confirming his death. β€œHe will be forever missed.”

Born Keith Charles Flint on Sept. 17, 1969 in east London, he moved to Braintree, Essex as a child, where he met co-founder Liam Howlett at a nightclub.

The band was known as much for their overt anti-establishment stance as much for their music. They were vocal critics of the U.K.’s Criminal Justice And Public Order Act 1994, which banned the raves popularized in the late-1980s during the so-called Second Summer of Love.