Broadcast's Trish Keenan Dies in Hospital

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jan 14, 2011

Following yesterday's grim news that Broadcast's Trish Keenan was in hospital with a life-threatening illness, the British avant-pop songstress has died. According to a statement from Warp Records, Kennan passed away in hospital this morning (January 14) due to complications with pneumonia. She was 42 years old.

Warp's statement reads:

It is with great sadness we announce that Trish Keenan from Broadcast passed away at 9 a.m. this morning in hospital. She died from complications with pneumonia after battling the illness for two weeks in intensive care.

Our thoughts go out to James, Martin, her friends and her family and we request that the public respect their wishes for privacy at this time.



This is an untimely tragic loss and we will miss Trish dearly -- a unique voice, an extraordinary talent and a beautiful human being. Rest in Peace.


Keenan began her career with Broadcast in 1995, releasing a series of forward-thinking, electronics-driven singles that would later be collected on the band's first Warp full-length, the stellar Work and Non Work in 1997. Broadcast returned with The Noise Made by People in 2000 before releasing arguably their finest moment, 2003's psych-soaked Haha Sound.

Following some major lineup changes that left Broadcast as a duo fronted by Keenan and James Cargill, the band released Tender Buttons in 2005, as well as the rarities and B-side comp Future Crayon in 2006. Broadcast's last release was the collaborative album with the Focus Group, Broadcast & the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, in 2009, after which the band returned to North America for a tour with Atlas Sound.

Despite early -- and unfair -- comparisons to Stereolab due to their sci-fi-edged retro-futurism, Broadcast managed to release some of most timeless, as well as innovative, records of the last decade, with Keenan's breathy, otherworldly vocals serving as the key element to the band's wholly unique sound. Needless to say, she will be greatly missed.

Exclaim! had to pleasure of interviewing Keenan in 2003. You can read that interview here.

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