Andrew Weatherall, the British musician, record producer, and DJ, best known for helming Primal Scream’s Screamadelica, has died at the age of 56.
The cause of his death was a pulmonary embolism, a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs get blocked due to a blood clot.
In a statement, Weatherall’s management said, “We are deeply sorry to announce that Andrew Weatherall, the noted DJ and musician passed away in the early hours of this morning, Monday 17th February 2020, at Whipps Cross Hospital, London.”
“The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism. He was being treated in hospital but unfortunately the blood clot reached his heart. His death was swift and peaceful,” it added.
Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh paid tribute by writing, “Genius is an overworked term but I’m struggling to think of anything else that defines him.”
Weatherall became a key public figure in countercultural British music. Later, he became one of the key DJs in the acid house movement of the late 1980s.
Danny Rampling recruited Weatherall to play at London nightclub Shoom and in no time, he founded the record label Boy’s Own Recordings and Bocca Juniors.
His most famous musical work came with Primal Scream on their breakthrough 1991 album Screamadelica.
In 2011, he told the NME, “Looking back, my arrogance makes me wince, but I would never have had the confidence to do it if I didn’t have that kind of attitude. In a few months, I’d gone from basically bumming around to all of a sudden being part of a proper scene. I was at the center of the cyclone and loving it.”
Weatherall continued to work as a DJ and music producer until his death.
In 2016, speaking about DJing, he told Guardia, “It’s quite vampyric, DJing. You’re never going to have that feeling of hearing that record for the first time again, but if you look into the eyes of someone who’s hearing it for the first time, it’s a nice vicarious feeling.”
“But it’s not selfish. I think I’ve never lost that thing I had when I was 12 years old and inviting my mates round to my house. They’d all be copping off with girls and I’m going, ‘No, check out this B-side,’” he added.
Tim Burgess of The Charlatan tweeted, “Shocked and saddened to hear that cosmic traveller Andrew Weatherall has left the building. Always a pleasure to meet up with him and share good times.” Writer and DJ Dave Haslam said, “Weatherall was one of the greatest, sweetest, funniest guys I’ve ever met.”
