International- SOPHIE, a Grammy-nominated
producer and DJ known for experimental pop and dance, has died at age 34. - She was a Grammy nominee who worked with Madonna, Charli XCX, and other artists during her career.
- Artists across the music industry and the
LGBTQ community shared tributes on social media.
SOPHIE, the Grammy-nominated DJ and producer known for her avant-garde pop sound, has died at the age of 34.
The artist, born Sophie Xeon, died around 4 a.m. at her home in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, The Associated Press reported. Music labels Transgressive and Future Classic confirmed the
"Tragically our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident. True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell," the companies wrote in a tweet.
"She will always be here with us. The family thanks everyone for their love and support and request privacy at this devastating time," they said.
—Transgressive (@transgressiveHQ) January 30, 2021
SOPHIE was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and began releasing music in 2013 with her debut single "Nothing More To Say." She later released another single, "BIPP," and further attracted fans with a series of acclaimed singles on her 2015 compilation, Product.
The first time SOPHIE used her own image and vocals as for her October 2017 song, "It's Okay to Cry." The next year she dropped her debut album, "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Inside," which received a Grammy nomination for best dance/electronic album.
She's worked with several top artists, including Madonna, Charli XCX, rapper Vince Staples, and Kim Petras.
The music industry and members of the LGBTQ community paid tribute to the "visionary" on social media
Tributes poured out from the music industry to honor SOPHIE, who was transgender, as a pioneering figure in the music industry.
French singer Christine and the Queens described SOPHIE as "a stellar producer, a visionary, a reference."
"She rebelled against the narrow, normative society by being an absolute triumph, both as an artist and as a woman," she wrote. "I can't believe she is gone. We need to honor and respect her memory and legacy. Cherish the pioneers."
—Chris (@QueensChristine) January 30, 2021
Munroe Bergdorf, the first transgender model for L'Oréal UK, shared photos of SOPHIE, who she called "an icon, a pioneer and a visionary bright light."
"Thank you for sharing your talent with us," she wrote. "I hope we get to meet again one day. Rest in peace sister."
—Munroe (@MunroeBergdorf) January 30, 2021
Oliver Sykes, best known as the lead singer of "Bring Me the Horizon," said in a tweet he was "devastated" by the
"From the moment I discovered @SOPHIEMSMSMSM , Sophie's work has been a profound source of inspiration & reference to me," he wrote. "Incredibly stimulating, pure proof that any genre can still be pushed in untapped ways, it was impossible not to be stimulated by Sophie once acquainted."
—Oliver Sykes (@olobersyko) January 30, 2021
Record label Numbers tweeted that SOPHIE was a "true inspiration" and "the World has lost an icon of liberation. We are devastated. Our thoughts are with SOPHIE's family and friends at this time. Rest in peace."
—Numbers. (@numbers) January 30, 2021
Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama called SOPHIE an "icon and a visionary."
"The world and our community has lost a beautiful soul. what a privilege it was to share moments with u backstage at Pop 2 London," she wrote. "Thank u SOPHIE for everything."
—RINA SAWAYAMA (@rinasawayama) January 30, 2021
Canadian artist Peaches shared a statement in which he championed SOPHIE as a "true game-changer."
"You will always be remembered as a true game-changer, powerful presence, and an incredibly original producer!" Peaches wrote. "Your music and production brought me so much joy!"
—Peaches (@peaches) January 30, 2021
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