Anton Fier, the famous drummer of The Feelies and The Loung Lizards, passed away on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. He was the founder of the Golden Palominos. Read on to know how did Anton Fier die and what was the cause of his death.
Fier was a celebrated drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader from Cleveland. He was known for collaborating with huge names throughout his lavish career. Fans have been paying tributes to the musical legend ever since the heartbreaking news of his passing emerged.
How did Anton Fier die?
Anton Fier was a highly talented musician. He passed away this Wednesday as announced by Syd Straw, a fellow bandmate and friend of Fier from his time with the Golden Palominos in the 1980s. The two played live and contributed vocals to Visions of Excess (1985) and its follow-up ‘Blast of Silence released next year.
“Devastated to tell you of the sorry demise of Anton Fier, who never realized how loved he was,” Straw wrote in an emotional Facebook post on Wednesday.
The Feelies paid tribute to Fier on Twitter confirming the demise of their former drummer. The band shared an image of Fier with the caption, “Peace, Anton.”
Bob Mould has also paid tribute to his late friend on Twitter.
Anton Fier brought endless power, emotion, and intensity to all the music he created and touched. I learned so much about music from Anton. I’m so grateful for the time we had together. Rest In Peace, my friend. pic.twitter.com/nYQvOXLT0N
— Bob Mould (@bobmouldmusic) September 22, 2022
An official statement from his family is awaited at the time of writing. However, it’s confirmed that the drummer is no more in this world.
Anton Fier dead: What was the cause of his death?
Anton Fier died on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, at the age of 66. The exact circumstances surrounding his death are unknown at the moment. Thus, we don’t know the specific cause of his death.
We’re trying to reach out to Fier’s family to receive their statement. However, they haven’t responded to our requests thus far. We’ll keep you informed once more information is made available.
Who was Anton Fier?
Anton Fier was born on June 20, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up to become a renowned American drummer, music producer, composer, and bandleader. He started his career as a drummer with The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies.
He joined the Feelies in 1978 and left the band a year later. However, he played drums on their 1980 debut album “Crazy Rhythms.” He was also a part of the Lounge Lizards’ self-titled 1981 debut. Fier also performed in Voidoids and was a brief member of Pere Ubu.
In 1981, Fier formed the Golden Palominos and served as its bandleader for decades. The group featured a revolving cast of other musicians but included bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis consistently.
The band launched their self-titled debut in 1983 and released seven more albums till 1996’s Dead Inside. In 2012, the band rejuvenated itself and released a collaborative album with Kevin Kinney titled “A Good Country Mile.”
1978’s Pere Ubu EP titled Datapanik in the Year Zero was dedicated to Fier. He was also in The Lodge with John Greaves.
Anton Fier was a Legendary Drummer Who Collaborated with Many Stars
Anton Fier was widely known for collaborating with major artists throughout his prolific career. Some of the names he worked together with include Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman Bob Mould, Bootsy Collins, avant-garde saxophonist John Zorn, Jack Bruce, John Greaves, and Makino Kazu.
Fier also played with bassist Jack Bruce and Japanese guitarist Kenji Suzuki on th 1987 album Inazuma Super Session- Absolute Live!
In October 2019, Syd Straw revealed that Fier had stopped playing drums. However, the reason wasn’t revealed but fans believed it was due to his old age.
Fier isn’t here with us anymore. May God let his soul rest in peace. Our heart goes out to his family and friends.
I knew Anton back in seven Hills Ohio –He took over my Clevleand Press paper route (ironically Adele Bertei was on the paper route –as I cut her family’s lawn back then). –Ironnically, not many people know thta Anton;s step-father, Edward Stampfl, was a very famous polka musician (I gathered this from the archival (Plain dealer) obituary for Anton’s mother, Ruthe Stampfl.
According to her archived Plain Dealer death notice (she died in 1976), Anton had a sister, and a half-bfrother, Edward Stampfl, Jr.