Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider dies

Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider died at the age of 73 on Wednesday. Sony Music Entertainment confirmed his death, saying he had struggled with cancer for a short time.

"We are absolutely gutted to hear about the passing of Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider due to cancer," said Japanese audio equipment maker Korg. "Florian, while being a part of Kraftwerk, helped shape electronic music and its influence on many genres from synthpop to rock."

Other bands, including American synthpop quartet Future Islands and emotional rock titans American Football, paid their respects to the musical icon, with the former attributing their existence as a band to Kraftwerk's widespread influence on music.

Music pioneer

Formed by Schneider and Ralf Hütter, Kraftwerk's "pioneering use of keyboards and synthesizers would later inspire artists in all genres of the musical spectrum, from rock and electronic music to hip-hop and pop," wrote Rolling Stone magazine.

The band formed in Dusseldorf in 1970 and was one of the first bands in history to solely employ electronic instruments to produce music albums. Their first major international breakthrough was in 1974 with the release of "Autobahn."

With their growing success in the 1970s and 1980s with releases such as "Trans-Europe Express," "The Man-Machine" and "Computer World," Kraftwerk embraced its image as the palatable avant-garde of modern music.

After decades of touring producing music and touring as an integral part of Kraftwerk, Schneider left the band in 2008.

ls/sms (AP, dpa)

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