Rockstar Martin Phillips Dies 'Unexpectedly'

Martin Phillips, lead vocalist and guitarist of New Zealand rockers The Chills, had died at the age of 61.

By Stephen Andrew

Rockstar Martin Phillips, of New Zealand legends The Chills, has died, He was 61. According to a statement from the band, Phillips' death came "unexpectedly" over the weekend.

"It is with broken hearts the family and friends of Martin Phillips wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly. The family ask for privacy at this time. Funeral arrangements will be advised in due course," the statement read. No cause of death has been disclosed.

In addition to The Chills' statement, the band's record label, Flying Nun Records, also missed a statement. "Our friend Martin Phillipps died at his Dunedin home on the weekend. He was 61 years old," reads the Flying Nun statement. "Martin and his band, the Chills, were an integral part of the 1980s Dunedin scene and of the bigger Flying Nun Records family."

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"Martin was a single-minded talent who took all components of a musical career seriously: song writing, performance and in the studio," the record label statement continues. "Demanding of perfection in others and himself, songs such as 'Rolling Moon', 'Pink Frost', 'I Love My Leather Jacket' and 'Heavenly Pop Hit' were increasingly commercially successful and helped define the best of New Zealand music in the 1980s."

"This last song and its album, Submarine Bells, almost broke the band internationally," the Flying Nun statement added. "After a pause, he then pulled himself up to reinvigorate the Chills and his career in the mid 2010s. With a stable unchanging band line up Martin once again was producing fine new albums and undertaking extensive New Zealand and international tours. Gone too soon, he will be greatly missed."

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