back to article Prodigy dancer and vocalist Keith Flint found dead aged 49

The iconic vocalist behind one of Essex's better musical exports, Keith Flint of the Prodigy, has been found dead at his home in Dunmow. He was 49. Police released a statement this morning, saying: "We were called to concerns for the welfare of a man at an address in Brook Hill, North End, just after 8.10am on Monday. "We …

  1. overunder

    Smack My Bitch Up

    ... was the most popular song in the U.S. I'd even guess that do to its controversy, the most popular song world wide.

    1. chivo243 Silver badge
      Paris Hilton

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      smack up my bitch... I was wondering why El Reg had omitted this gem???

      So, is the song about domestic abuse, or drug use? I was more of a grunger back in the day...

      I don't think Paris knows either...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Smack My Bitch Up

        The song/video was about a abusive person who gets drunk and regularly beats up on their partners/random strangers.

        The twist comes at the end of the video, when you discover this complete psycho you have been following around is actually a woman.

        1. UrbaneSpaceman

          Re: Smack My Bitch Up

          Fun fact - the girl in the mirror is Teresa May

          1. JLV Silver badge

            Re: Smack My Bitch Up


            album: Experience.

            Major bummer to start the day. RIP.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Smack My Bitch Up

          SPOILER ALERT!!!

    2. e^iÏ+1=0

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      Definitely my favourite track of theirs; the album "No Tourists" from last year was up to scratch - give it a go.

      1. TRT Silver badge

        Re: Smack My Bitch Up

        It would be very hard to pick a favourite track.

        Smack My Bitch Up was above average. Breathe stands out, and Poison. Firestarter also.

        Decent videos too; I mean, really quite thought provoking and inspirational. Very different. There's not many bands that make you sit up and take notice quite so early on in their career. The Streets was one that did, but they've not had such a consistent quality output as The Prodigy.

        Sad day.

        1. iron Silver badge

          Re: Smack My Bitch Up

          Breathe for me without a doubt. I love all of that album but it's the stand out track imo.

          A real shame he's gone so young.

          1. e^iÏ+1=0

            Re: Smack My Bitch Up

            "gone so young."

            49 is the new 27.

            1. K Silver badge

              Re: Smack My Bitch Up

              I swore when I was 18, I'd go to their final concert, rather than glow sticks... I'd be waving my zimmer frame..

              Of course, I wonder what tune they'll play at him cremation..

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      Fun Fact: If you put that on in your car for people that have never heard it you can max out the volume and make them shit themselves once the bass kicks in.

      R.I.P. Keith, I'm from the everybody is in the place generation and yes I did a few illegal raves in my time. Getting a text at 5 on a Saturday then partying your bollocks off till Monday night was lots of fun. (usually bank holidays for those not in the know)

      1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

        Re: Smack My Bitch Up

        I'm not from that generation and could never get on with the whole rave scene which, in my opinion, subsequently led to techno and drum'n'bass… But always had time for The Prodigy. Rave on, Keith!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Smack My Bitch Up

          I started out with piano based dance music/acid house in the late 80's, avoided bum and face (drum'n'bass), moved onto trance in the late 90's then physically threw up at minimalist techno (brick in a washing machine music) and dubstep (What exactly were people thinking? That's when you know people have taken too many drugs, either that or I got old)

          The Prodigy were great, they had some great mixes aside from the mainstream though the mainstream was also very good. I wasn't London based at the time but there were some legendary stories about Keith and co that worked their way up North. Lets just say him and Liam knew how to party and leave it at that, I don't think they would get pass the mods if I went into detail anyway.

    4. Blank Reg

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      "most popular song world wide."

      And yet I'd never heard of him nor the song.

      1. IsJustabloke Silver badge

        Re: Smack My Bitch Up

        "And yet I'd never heard of him nor the song."

        Oh haven't you? In that case...

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: Smack My Bitch Up

        You're not alone. I never heard of him either.

        1. JLV Silver badge

          Re: Smack My Bitch Up

          And you really felt the need to communicate that why again?

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: Smack My Bitch Up

            Why? Because I honestly had never heard of him/them, just like the other poster. Which is rather odd for me, I usually have my ear to the ground when it comes to music. Note that nowhere did I comment on their style/ability/anything else ... I couldn't, because I quite literally had never heard their music, to the best of my knowledge.

            Hard as it might be to believe, not everybody on the planet follows the UK pop scene. I did a little research, and discovered that The Prodigy (like Slade and T. Rex before them) were one-hit wonders here in the United States, and that was back in '97. Is it any wonder that some of us have never heard of them? I'll probably look into their tunes now that I'm aware of them.

            But whatever. Keep the downvotes coming. That'll teach us to have missed the meme, and I'm absolutely certain it'll make all y'all feel better.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Smack My Bitch Up

              The downvotes were because you replied to an obituary with a dismissive comment about the subject. Around these parts that's considered pretty disrespectful.

              My own opinion of you has risen considerably since you explained yourself.

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Smack My Bitch Up

              notice that in the address bar?

              1. jake Silver badge

                Re: Smack My Bitch Up

                Have you ever read what ElReg has to say about itself?


                Did you parse the first line of that? Allow me to post it here, in case you're one of those people who claim to find it difficult to copy & paste a link: "The Register is a leading gobal online tech publication, with more than nine million monthly unique browsers worldwide."

                Here's another select quote: "Today The Register is headquartered in London, San Francisco and Sydney and the sun never sets on its reporting team around the world."

                So your point was ... what, exactly?

    5. John Smith 19 Gold badge

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      And sadly Keith has smacked his last one.

      Whatever that means.

      Still raising a pint to him at beer o'clock.

    6. rcxb

      Re: Smack My Bitch Up

      He's smacking bitches up in heaven now, kids...

    7. 1752

      Out Of Space (Audio Bullys mix)

      The song for me RIP.

  2. Semtex451 Silver badge

    Sorry you had to check out early Flinty

  3. juice Bronze badge

    Definitely a shock

    Not something I was expecting to see when I fired up social media today.

    Condolences to his friends and family - from what we've heard so far, this definitely sounds like a tragedy and he will be sorely missed.

    I've seen Prodigy three times, and the first time was one of the most memorable experiences I've had - it was my first trip to a German goth festival[*] and they headlined the final night. Pretty much the entire audience ended up bouncing and moshing on the slightly muddy grass.

    And for an added bonus, there's a final-night tradition at this festival, where people grab the metal poles from discarded tents/chairs/gazebos and have an impromptu drumming-jam while sat in a big circle on the runway tarmac. Usually, this lasts for a couple of hours, but after the Prodigy's masterclass, people were bouncing and hammering away until the very wee hours of the morning.

    The subsequent times I saw them were also great, but as with many other things, there's something about your first time.

    [*] German "goth" tends to be a mix of hard electronica and medieval rock. Sometimes they're combined ;)

    1. Youngone Silver badge

      Re: Definitely a shock

      Medieval rock? Sounds awesome. Very loud lutes I expect. Now I will need to check that out. Thanks.

      1. Jame_s

        Re: Definitely a shock

        more bagpipes and hurdy gurdy than lute

    2. LucreLout Silver badge

      Re: Definitely a shock

      Definitely a shock

      It is, and it's a very sad day. Obviously I loved all their big hits, but must admit to being a little unfamiliar with many of their songs (heavy metal was/is more my thing).

      Sadly, suicide remains the biggest single killer of men under 50, and divorce, as seems to be the underlying reason here, remains one of the biggest triggers. Surely the time has come to reorganise the family courts and realign divorce proceedings such that they are not conducted in the adversarial manner of the rest of the legal system.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward


    One of my favorite bands ever. Have always kept their unique sound while producing new and exciting tunes, unlike lots of other bands which have come and gone.

    The loss of Keith however means that they'll never quite be the same band again.

    Gutted for them. Sorry guys.

  5. WonkoTheSane

    See official Prodigy Instagram account

    They say it was suicide.

    1. Mycho Silver badge

      Re: See official Prodigy Instagram account

      He said in a 2015 interview that when the time was right he was going to end it himself.

      I mean, he used a lot more swearwords but that was what he meant.

  6. John Sager

    Excuse the Old Gittery, but they passed me by totally at the time. Now seeing the video, he is about as far away from a PHB as you could get...

    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

      Well.. for me, it all started in '94 with 'No Good'. Which starts with a fairly normal (and young) Mr Flint beginning his journey of discovery.. And taking a few of us of the jilted & jaded generation along with him.

      I saw the Prodigy peform live a few times, and always a full-on experience.. So this is from 2017-

      Not exactly mellowing in their old age :)

      1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

        I got to know No Good in night clubs in 1994 but it took me quite a while to realise this was by The Prodigy. And quite similar happened with One Love - the first time I came across it was in one of the Pink Floyd trance remixes, probably Atom Heart Mother or Wish You Were Here, where it was sampled in in one of the songs. Only far into the 2010s I found this was actually Prodigy.

        And both not so much their typical style as the other, already mentioned and more popular pieces.

        no R.I.P. icon?

  7. Andy Non

    At his cremation,

    will they play "Firestarter"?

    Too soon?

    1. joeW

      Re: At his cremation,

      Quid in the jar please...

      1. Velv Silver badge

        Re: At his cremation,

        Tenner these days

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: At his cremation,

          Tenner? I thought he was more baritone

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: At his cremation,

      Depends how he went. If he hung himself, they might go for "Breathe".

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

    4. Evil Auditor Silver badge

      Re: At his cremation,

      Too soon! Get some voodoo people over to send a wake up call and bring him back to breath. Too bad he committed suicide but I guess it'd be an omen. Does anyone know if he took poison? Someone should have taken him to the hospital. Since he was found at home I can only guess he didn't crash full throttle in a diesel powered car doing hyperspeed.

      If it's going to be a cremation, I'd suggest to succeed Firestarter with Fuel My Fire and Heat.

      I might have been nasty here but we all don't live forever. If this resonates with you, give me a signal - I'm off to Ibiza.

      1. CountCadaver

        Re: At his cremation,

        Better term nowadays is "took his own life"

        Reason being is that suicide was the criminal descriptor and still carries criminal connotations

        1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

          Re: At his cremation,

          Well, I'd just call it death of the prodigy dancer. He did no good taking his life though and probably won't rise like a phoenix. But enough of this funky shit, I'll get my coat again before someone shoots me down.

        2. Joe Wrigley

          Re: At his cremation,

          I understood that "died by suicide" is acceptable. It is the use of commit/committed suicide that implies a criminal act.

    5. fiskrond

      Re: At his cremation,

      cheap joke at someone else's misery...

  8. Chris G Silver badge

    I met him fleetingly at an amateur bike racing meeting at Cadwell Pk in the nineties, he had not long started competing and had kitted himself out with a Ducati. He saw the bike my mate was racing while walking round the paddock and stopped for a chat.

    A nicer more down to earth guy you couldn't meet, his riding wasn't bad either but his music to me stands the test of time.

    He was a Prodigy, RIP Keith.

    1. Korev Silver badge

      My cousin used to ride motorbikes in the same group, he always said that Keith was a lovely guy. Apparently he used to talk about the squirrels in his mum's garden a lot! This would have been at the time when the tabloids were in meltdown about the band :)

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        All the tributes from other musicians, such as Suede or the Chemical Brothers, emphasize that he was a chatty, friendly, gentle character.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm a year older, very sobering.

  10. ukgnome Silver badge

    This sucks

  11. RyokuMas Silver badge

    Holy crap...

    "Charly" and "Everybody in the Place" were staple tracks back when I made the jump from "hello world" type programs to seriously trying to make games.

    Only six years older than me, too... the world is a poorer place.

    1. 45RPM Silver badge

      Re: Holy crap...

      Thumbs up to Charly. Brings back memories of the Student Union or The Colleseum in 1992. Happy days.

      Rest in Peace, Keith. I’ll raise a mosh to Funky Shit in your memory.

  12. itzman


    The mark was so indelible, that I completely missed it.

    Never heard of the man, the band or the song.

    Vaguely remember 'smack my bitch up'

    1. Alister Silver badge

      Re: Yawn.

      Never heard of the man, the band or the song.

      Your loss.

    2. TeeCee Gold badge

      Re: Yawn.

      Well, at least you used the right icon.

    3. Captain Scarlet Silver badge

      Re: Yawn.

      I recommend the Pendulum remix of "Voodoo People" to start off, then someone comment next on the next song to partake from what itzman has missed

    4. Lee D Silver badge

      Re: Yawn.

      Yelling into a mic at the loudest volume isn't a song. Especially not when half the words are repeated endlessly.

      Nor is just playing loud, repetitive bass.

      I'm pretty sure that this was one of those "songs" that someone in my sixth form used to play at full volume in the common room and we all hated him for it.

      1. Mark 110 Silver badge

        Re: Yawn.

        Theres certain kinds of music that are hard to understand unless you are taking the right drugs. The Prodigys version of techno only really works with party drugs (speed, mdma). But Prodigy hit the charts on the back of a massive wave of popularity of that kind of music, the punk influences widened the popularity and thhe videos are great. Hence it hiting the charts.

        If you've never indulged in party drugs, loved punk orr generally been a bit anarchic then I can see why you wouldn't like them.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Yawn.

          If you need to take drugs to understand "your"[0] music, you are so many kinds of fucked up that I don't even know where to start. Seek help. Or don't ... but kindly don't reproduce before the inevitable.

          [0] How can it be "yours" if somebody else tells you what altered state your mind has to be in to listen to it?

        2. Chris G Silver badge

          Re: Yawn.

          @ Mark110

          I'm an old fart in my 60s, I got over mind altering chemicals (other than alcohol) way before Prodigy was a thing but the first time I heard them I liked the music. If you need drugs or drink to enjoy yourself I would recommend some counseling or something. The stuff we had in the '60s and '70s was fun but that's all

          , those who depended on it were the unlucky ones. Up until a couple of years ago I was still doing security for visitors to Ibiza stone cold sober still enjoying the clubs.

          1. Dabooka Silver badge

            Re: Yawn.

            With Chris G 100% there.

        3. hoofie

          No Drugs

          Can't say I ever took any drugs apart from a puff of weed now and then and I can't say I was a huge punk fan [more of a New Romantics thing for me] but Prodigy were utterly f***ing brilliant.

          "Fat of the Land" was a monster seller because it was just full of excellent music with an energy that was incredible.

          RIP Keith - sounds like a good bloke who just decided he didn't want to be part of life anymore.

        4. Trilkhai

          Re: Yawn.

          I didn't get drunk, take drugs, attend raves (or even exciting parties), yet I developed an appreciation for their music back in the late 90s as a college student... They were on heavy rotation on the local alternative radio station along with other high-energy music/bands, and I was high enough on life to think it all sounded awesome.

        5. Dabooka Silver badge

          Re: Yawn.

          Never taken drugs back then (beer is all I ever needed) but I assure you I was surrounded by those that were on the stuff and I still loved and got The Prodigy's music style.

          That's not to say powders and pills wouldn't have 'helped it along' or whatnot, just that it was (is) bloody enjoyable whilst sober. Well, maybe a bit pissed but you get my point.

      2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

        Re: Yawn.


        Nor is just playing loud, repetitive bass.

        Ah yes, the beats that were made illegal. Unless in say, a superclub like Ministry where the money went to the right kind of people.

        Personally I think the Prodigy were pretty sophisticated, ie the heavy use of sampling from a very eclectic mix of sources. I think one of the best tributes is the way the Prodigy (and others) changed culture a bit, and the BBC's comment that the Firestarter video was banned for scaring the children. Or waking some up to the blandness that was the rest of the Top 40 in those days.

        1. Korev Silver badge

          Re: Yawn.

          Music today is really, really bland. We desperately need a “new” Prodigy, Nirvana etc. to shift things.

          I’m also slightly afraid that when it comes I’ll be too old (arguably it’d be healthy for the music scene bald, approaching middle age, tubby IT geeks regard it as a terrible racket...)

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Yawn.


          This is pretty much it. Howlett was always the genius behind the music. He used samples heavily and did so very creatively, in a way that produced tracks with a hell of a lot of energy, complex rhythms and catchy vocals. They had two very successful albums under their belt before Flint stepped forward and added his vocals to tracks which, while controversial, were essentially very well-written pop songs.

          If you don't get that, then I'm afraid you just don't understand music, whether you actually find it enjoyable to listen to or not. There is a ton of music released over the years which I can't stand, but I can still appreciate the talent that went into creating very good pop songs, even if I don't personally like them.

          It was the sheer energy they managed to inject that made the Prodigy popular with drug-fuelled ravers, something which they were happy to take the piss out of (look at the Out of Space video for an example). But ultimately they were beautifully produced, fun pop songs and the Prodigy have a firm place amongst the greatest of British music history. Nothing can change that.

          Long live The Prodigy.

          1. fiskrond

            Re: Yawn.


            I've been saying this to 'da yoof' for a long time.... it's only when you play them some old stuff without telling them who/when.. and they think you've discovered some new underground stuff that the point is proven.

            The wet little tosseurs still don't quite get it though... if their 'bros' aint listning to it then it aint 'cool'...

            Music these days is soo homogenised the good (5%?) gets lost in the flood of banal dross.

    5. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge

      Re: Yawn.

      I'd never heard of him either..... until someone sent me the link to firestarter in 2012 2 days after heart surgery with a message "Play this loud, it'll get you moving again"

      4am on the high dependency heart ward .... not my fault.... I was stoned out of my head on drugs..

      Enjoyed some of their other stuff too........ when the nurses gave me my phone back


      1. David Webb

        Re: Yawn.


    6. the Jim bloke Silver badge

      Re: Yawn.

      Do you perhaps have a hobby of crashing funerals, wakes and eulogies, to declare how you must be more important than the "guest of honour", on the grounds that YOU ARE IGNORANT OF THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

      Because that is what you have just done.


      total fail.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Yawn.

        To be fair, nowhere did anybody claim they were more important than "the guest". That's all in your head.

        The SubjectTitle could have been chosen with a trifle less scorn, though.

    7. This post has been deleted by its author

  13. Jay 2

    Whilst I was listening the Prodigy's music beforehand, The Fat Of The Land was arguably the soundtrack to my first few years of being a sys admin in the big city, stuffed into a basement with a few other like-minded individuals. Fun times indeed (learning now not to run a data centre if nothing else, which has come in handy later on in my career). They've been very active as of late with various tours and the latest album, this is sad news indeed.

  14. phuzz Silver badge

    Well, thank fuck I saw them a couple of times before today. Personally Voodoo People was always my favourite of theirs.

    1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge
    2. Dabooka Silver badge

      And again, in a variety of gigs throughout their career

  15. Chris Harries

    The Prodigy never again scraped the same level of chart-topping success

    What? Every one of their albums except the first one hit number 1 in the UK charts, including their last one, released 2018.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: The Prodigy never again scraped the same level of chart-topping success

      Topping the charts in 2018 ain't the same as topping the charts back in 1998 or whenever.

      That's not knocking The Prodigy's recent efforts (of which I've heard good things), just an observation about the music industry and wider pop culture.

      1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge


        "Topping the charts in 2018 ain't the same as topping the charts back in 1998 or whenever."

        yeah , its gotta be harder surely?

        1. Mooseman Bronze badge


          "yeah , its gotta be harder surely?"

          Sadly not. Sales are way down - 100,000 sales for a single to go Gold these days, in the late 1970s it was 10 times that.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Oh well. After two years of driving it, I've only just found in my works Transit that what I thought was a blanking plate for a redundant fag lighter cutout was actually a 3.5 mm Aux-in socket for its respectably loud stereo. I'm now eager to test the stereo's ability to handle bass, just as soon as I can decide upon some suitable sample material....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Killing in the name of by Rage against the machine

      (Yes I know Zack especially is a major hypocrite, widely rumoured to rub shoulders with various tycoons while preaching an anti capitalist message)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You need LFO by LFO. Always worked for me.

  17. Dave 126 Silver badge

    Keith Vaz, it's on you now

    I mean, we've lost Moon, Floyd and now Flint, so the onus of Keithly hellraising shirley falls upon the Honourable Member for Leicester East.

    1. hoofie

      Re: Keith Vaz, it's on you now

      The little washing-machine salesman scamp that he is.

    2. Aladdin Sane Silver badge

      Re: Keith Vaz, it's on you now

      Richards is still not dead.

    3. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Keith Vaz, it's on you now

      Where does Mark E. Smith fit in that list? And, while we're at it? What is Iggy Pop? Surely, no human could have survived what he's done to himself?

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        Re: Keith Vaz, it's on you now

        Mark and Iggy are disqualified on the grounds of not being called Keith. Ditto Ozzy for the same reason.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: Keith Vaz, it's on you now

          Mild correction ... Mark's DQed because he's dead. Iggy's DQed because he's a Yank. Ozzy's DQed because he's Ozzy, and slightly out of phase with the rest of the planet.

          Richards, as we all know, is going to outlast the tardigrades. Thus, by definition of living virtually forever, he will have eventually done everything it's possible for a human to do.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward


    "Whenever he put the logs and kindling in and someone piped up with the obvious joke"

    I don't get it.

    1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

      Re: Obvious?



    2. Mooseman Bronze badge

      Re: Obvious?


  19. OliP


    this one hit me hard, so unexpected.

    Their music hit me when i was around 7 or 8 (so defo no need for drugs to appreciate the genius behind it) and to this day it brings a smile whenever i hear any of it.

    Just listening to Experience through and each intro raises the hairs on the back of my neck, the drums on charlie are really something else.

    Set the stage for and "legitimised" rave music the world over.

    Raising more than one to the firestarter tonight

  20. Jaspa

    The Voodoo

    The Voodoo who do what you don't dare do People.

    He came, he saw and he kicked ass.

    RIP You were a huge part of a generation growing up.

  21. StuntMisanthrope Bronze badge

    EDM, crossover and Bob Moog

    From the get-go, and standard set. Still current and a landlord. #nogood(start the dance)

  22. $till$kint

    He made it ok for a generation of blokes to dance

    Keith's antics made it acceptable for a whole generation of guys to unleash the bendy bits ( I think they're called "knees" and "elbows" ) in what can loosely be described as dancing. For allowing us to express ourselves and communicate in this way, we thank you. Although my wife has never quite forgiven the number of times I've managed to stand on her feet in the process.

    Keith, if only you could have spoken to someone last night. Us blokes are a bit rubbish like that. So to anyone out there feeling a bit lost right now, if you feel the need to talk to someone, know that there's always someone who will listen:

    Calm -

    Mind -

    Samaritans -

  23. Conundrum1885

    Re. MIND

    I do wonder sometimes if the efforts of certain authorities only sometimes work.

    Case in point, Universal Credit (UC) has unfairly impacted disabled people in some cases leading to starvation, suicide and drug use.

    You could argue that UC though its intent was to improve things is now so broken that the "morally correct" thing to do is halt the whole

    sorry mess and give those in most immediate need a payment from the emergency funds sitting in bank accounts laughingly called "PPI"

    and be done with it.

    Its simply not acceptable to allow veterans to starve in shop doorways because some bean counter who probably drives an expensive 4x4 and has

    a 62" OLED HDR TV figures that they can find a job at the drop of a hat. Employers have no soul and should be far more reasonable than they are.

    Also important: depression is a horrible, horrible disease and far more debilitating than any addiction imaginable

    And no it does not have to be medicated as there are effective non-pharmacological treatments available if you seek help.

    Not ACing because I woud rather stand up and be counted for my beliefs.

  24. Zonker Zoggs

    Strangely the thing that sticks in my mind is reading that he ran a 5km the day before in 21 minutes 22 seconds. That is fast for a young man. Why that bothers me so much I can't really say

  25. Dabooka Silver badge

    Absolutely gutted

    Refreshing to see how many people on here share the same memories and views of their music though.

    Firestarter being banned on TOTP as 'he scared kids' is always amusing, as most folk think Smack My Bitch Up was their first to fall to the censors. My first 'proper' gig was The Prodigy in Newcastle (The MAyfair for those that may remember it), where they ended the set with a early version on No Good (Start The Dance) when all there earlier stuff was Charly etc. Cracking tune. Breathe is a tough one to beat mind, but there's a lot to choose from.

    I am amazed how so many on here have never heard the music though. Not knowing Keith Flint bey name is fair enough, but the tracks have been doing the rounds for thirty years and he's not exactly a face you'd forget in a hurry.

  26. SonOfDilbert

    Suicide - CALM

    Apparently it was suicide. As someone else above pointed out, suicide is the biggest killer for men under 45 (in the UK, at least). That statistic is fucking crazy. What a fucking waste of talented men - whether it's Keith Flint or Bob Jones next door.

    For anyone affected - potentially or actually - by suicide, you could do a lot worse than to take a peek at this website:

  27. Jimboom

    He will be missed. I was lucky to see them live a few times and they definitely knew how to rock.

    On a separate note did anyone else see that in the first few hours after the fact, before the cause of death was widely known, if you went to google and typed in "cause of death Keith Flint" it came up as Fire being the cause of death.

    While that would have been very ironic I think it was probably some algorithm at play. It does seem to have been corrected since though.

  28. Big_Boomer

    RIP Keith

    I got to meet him and ride around north Essex with him a few times in the mid 90's. Not many who could stay with him on the Dunmow to Finchingfield to Braintree roads but then it was his home turf. No "rockstar ego" to him at all and a genuine nice guy with a wicked sense of humour. The intro to Firestarter has been my cellphone ringtone since the first phone where ya could use MP3s (I think it was the Nokia N95) and I will remember him whenever someone phones me.

  29. Potemkine! Silver badge


    Firestarter = Wipeout 2097

    Sad way to go. It sux when Prodigy mixes with Suicidal Tendencies.

  30. Valerion

    As a rocker in the 90s

    It was considered blashphamy to listen to techo, dance, drum n bass etc.

    But the Prodigy were the one exception that that rule. Had a real universal appeal.

    1. grumpymike80

      Re: As a rocker in the 90s

      The Prodigy are a bit of an enigma like that - they are played regularly on the Rock / Metal station I listen to, and well appreciated by the metalheads. They've played both Download, and Creamfields!

  31. Stephen Newman

    KF died on my 49th birthday.

    I once burnt a $religioustome to the soundtrack of "Firestarter".

    Am I going to $placeofeternalpunishment??


    1. Aladdin Sane Silver badge

      Re: $placeofeternalpunishment


  32. Moog42

    ... it's not all about you

    Very sad. Sound of the late 90's, and stunning live.

    For those desperate to share how they have 'never heard of him... etc'. Yeah, well guess what - it's not all about you I'm afraid.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ... it's not all about you

      Some people are just arseholes unfortunately.

    2. Stephen Newman

      Re: ... it's not all about you

      ..never said I wasn't a fan (I am, bought a lot on vinyl over the years) Sorry for diverting away from the story.

  33. fiskrond

    Heard on radio alarm.. 3:45pm

    Assumed a result of a hard weekend after a excessive lifestyle...

    Very saddened to hear was actually suicide....

    "Hearts are the easiest things you can break" ... JAMC (Some Candy Talking)

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