On Saturday, MixMag reported that musician SOPHIE had died at the age of 34. The artist reportedly died in the early morning hours on Saturday in Athens, Greece, where SOPHIE had been residing. SOPHIE was a major force within the music industry, working with figures such as Madonna, Charli XCX, and Vince Staples.
SOPHIE’s team provided a statement to MixMag in which they confirmed the tragic news (in their message to MixMag, SOPHIE’s team requested that pronouns were not used and that the artist would be referred to as SOPHIE). The team’s statement read, “It is with profound sadness that I have to inform you that musician and producer SOPHIE passed away this morning around 4am in Athens, where the artist had been living, following a sudden accident. At this time respect and privacy for the family is our priority. We would also ask for respect for her fanbase, and to treat the private nature of this news with sensitivity.” They continued, “SOPHIE was a pioneer of a new sound, one of the most influential artists in the last decade. Not only for ingenious production and creativity but also for the message and visibility that was achieved. An icon of liberation.”
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The record label Transgressive, which released SOPHIE’s debut album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, released a statement in which they said that the artist had “accidentally slipped and fell” while climbing to watch the full moon. Transgressive’s statement read that SOPHIE will “always be here with us.” They added, “The family thank everyone for their love and support and request privacy at this devastating time.”
SOPHIE took an experimental approach to pop music and reportedly used vocal modulation to explore gender identity. Additionally, SOPHIE penned Madonna’s 2015 single, “Bitch I’m Madonna” with Diplo, MoZella, Toby Gad, and Ariel Rechtshaid. In 2018, SOPHIE spoke to Billboard and opened up about being a trans woman in the music industry. SOPHIE told the outlet, “Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive. On this earth, it’s that you can get closer to how you feel your true essence is without the societal pressures of having to fulfil certain traditional roles based on gender.”
