Revered Drummer/Producer Dies of Lung Cancer: Roli Mosimann Was 68

Roli Mosimann, the legendary music producer who was one half of duo Wiseblood and an early drummer for Swans, has died. Mosimann passed away in a hospital in Wroclaw, Poland on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 15 following a battle with lung cancer, JG Thirlwell confirmed . He was 68.

"It's with a heavy heart that I have to announce the passing of Roli Mosimann. Roli died at 2:15am this morning in hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, from lung cancer," Thirlwell wrote on Facebook. He remembered Mosimann as "a questing musician and a sonic sculptor" who was "also a great guy, and, as his first wife Alexa said, 'lover of women, wine and song..' My heart goes out to his family and those whose lives he touched."

Together with Thirlwell, Mosimann co-founded the electronic/noise-rock band Wiseblood in the mid-80s. They played together in the band intermittently from 1985 through the early 1990s. Thirlwell said he was "drawn to working with him after seeing his incredible drum skills in Swans," the experimental rock band formed in 1981 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. Mosimann contributed drums and production to the group's 1983 debut, Filth , as well as the 1984 follow-up, Cop .

In addition to drumming in bands, throughout his decades-long career in the music industry, the Swedish-born Mosimann, who fell in love with the No Wave scene after moving to New York City in the '80s, was also a producer. He notably worked with The The, That Petrol Emotion, The Young Gods, Faith No More, Celtic Frost, Skinny Puppy, The Hair and Skin Trading Company, and more. In 2020, Mossiman received The Man With a Golden Ear award at the Soundedit Festiva l. The award - whose past recipients nclude Daniel Lanois, Giorgio Moroder, Gary Unman, and more - is given for "Visionary and Pioneering Solutions in Music Production."

Paying tribute to him following his passing, The Young Gods' Fraz Treichler shared a picture of Mosimann playing drums for the Swans in '84. He recalled how at the time, he was "the house sound guy. He had a unique drumming style and a mind blowing musicality. Roli became a friend and the Young Gods producer. He shaped our sound from the beginning to 1995. My dear friend. Music is love."

In a statement shared to Instagram , The The called Mosimann "a larger than life character" and "one of the most original talents I have ever worked with. A very intelligent and insightful man, he had a unique way of looking at the world. My thoughts with his family. Rest In Peace my old friend."