Manuel Göttsching, popularly known for being one of the pioneers of the electronic music genre, has passed away at the age of 70.
According to a statement on his official website, the musician died "peacefully" on December 4, 2022, being surrounded by his family.
"The void he leaves behind we want to fill with his music and loving memories," they continued, before adding the quote, "When your fingers touched the strings of a guitar, the world stood still. May it stands still and bring you back to us whenever we hear you play."
As of this writing, his family has not publicly revealed his actual cause of death or whether he had health issues or not.
Manuel Göttsching's Life & Music Career
According to NME, the German musician was one of the founding members of Ash Ra Tempel along with Hartmut Enke and Klaus Schulze of Tangerine Dream. The group got together in 1970 and became pioneers in the electronic music scene.
Throughout their career, the band released five albums between 1971 and 1973 before Göttsching decided to venture out into a solo career with his debut album "Inventions for Electric Guitar" in 1975.
He also had another moniker called Ashra which he launched in 1976 and he still released music under his real name over the years.
During the early 80s, the musician started working on his solo album "E2-E4," a record that became iconic within the electronic music scene and influenced many artists.
The album is an hour-long minimalist recording that featured metallic percussion, guitar, sequencer, and improvised keyboards. It was later released under his pal Klaus Schulze's label in 1984.
Born on September 9, 1952, in West Berlin, West Germany, Göttsching has been exposed to music since he was a kid as his mother, a fan of opera, introduced him to Verdi and Puccini. He also liked listening to radio stations by British and American people.
He became more exposed to music during the 60s as he was inspired by Motown music from the United States. He also adored bands like the Rolling Stones and blues bands in the United Kingdom.
During an event by Red Bull Music Academy, Göttsching revealed he played with a cover band in school, saying, "We played some Rolling Stones, we played some Beatles, we played some Who, some what was the popular music and that was just for fun."
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