Sir Elton John has paid tribute to Keith Flint, the frontman of The Prodigy who died last week aged 49.
John spoke during the preview to his weekly radio show on Beats One, which airs tomorrow at 5pm GMT.
- The NME Obituary: Keith Flint, 1969-2019: the twisted face of rave, the beating heart of The Prodigy
“I’m opening the show [with Firestarter] to pay tribute to Keith Flint, who passed away last weekend,” John said. “What a shame. What a seminal record, what a seminal group they are or were.”
“I don’t know if they’ll continue, but when I first heard that and saw the video I just thought, ‘wow, what is this…’ Such a tragedy. My condolences to Keith’s family and the band. They are one of the most original groups to come out of England, ever.”
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Flint had died as a result of hanging. Elton joins the likes of John Lydon, Faithless, James Blunt, Stereophonics, and hundreds of fans to pay tribute to the iconic vocalist.
Flint was found dead at his Essex home last Monday (March 4). The surviving bandmates paid remembered Flint as “a true pioneer, innovator and legend”, before Liam Hewlett revealed that he had taken his own life.
Over the weekend, they also thanked fans for their continued support and tributes. The band have also cancelled all of their upcoming scheduled tour dates, with Emily Eavis revealing that the band were booked to play Glastonbury 2019.
Meanwhile, fans have launched a campaign to get their song ‘Firestarter’ to Number One and raise awareness for mental health and suicide support.
For help and advice on mental health:
- ‘Am I depressed?‘ – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next
- Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians
- Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues
- YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
- CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
- Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
- The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day