26 February 2019
Newsdesk
Mark Hollis, lead singer, songwriter and co-founder of the band Talk Talk, has died at the age of 64.
A creative mastermind, the group came to the fore in the 1980s recording hit singles such as 'It’s My Life', 'Today', 'Talk Talk' and 'Life’s What You Make It'. They also released albums such as Spirit of Eden, which was hailed as a “masterpiece”, and Laughing Stock.
Tributes have been paid to the moving singer-songwriter Mark Hollis.
Talk Talk's bassist, Paul Webb, wrote on Instagram: "I am very shocked and saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Hollis.
"Musically he was a genius and it was a honour and a privilege to have been in a band with him.
"I have not seen Mark for many years, but, like many musicians of our generation, I have been profoundly influenced by his trailblazing musical ideas.
"He knew how to create depth of feeling with sound and space like no other. He was one of the greats, if not the greatest."
The lead singer and primary songwriter of Talk Talk, Hollis co-founded the band in 1981 alongside drummer Lee Harris, bassist Paul Webb and keyboard player Simon Brenner. They had early synth-pop success with singles ‘Talk Talk’, ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Such a Shame’ together with several critically-acclaimed albums, including ‘Spirit of Eden’ and ‘Laughing Stock.’
After the band disbanded in 1991, Hollis released a well received, self-titled solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry. Speaking about his decision not to tour and to maintain a private lifestyle at the time, Hollis said: “I choose for my family. Maybe others are capable of doing it, but I can’t go on tour and be a good dad at the same time.”
His cousin-in-law tweeted: “RIP Mark Hollis. Cousin-in-law. Wonderful husband and father. Fascinating and principled man. Retired from the music business 20 years ago but an indefinable musical icon.”
