PAJames Blunt has joined the many people paying tribute to The Prodigy vocalist Keith Flint with an incredibly moving message.
The 49-year-old was found dead at his home in Essex on March 4, but authorities explained they weren’t treating the death as suspicious, and the band later confirmed on their Instagram that the singer had taken his own life.
Fellow band member Liam Howlett wrote:
The news is true , I can’t believe I’m saying this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend , I’m shell shocked , fuckin angry , confused and heart broken ….. r.i.p brother
Flint originally joined the band as a dancer, but later became a vocalist and sang on singles such as Firestarter and Breathe, taken from The Prodigy’s third album, The Fat Of The Land.
Both singles and the album reached the top of the charts, propelling the band into the limelight and making them icons of the 90s generation.
PAMusicians and fans of the 49-year-old took to social media to honour the star, and Blunt managed to pay his respects to Flint while simultaneously throwing out a few of his classic Twitter insults aimed at other celebs.
The You’re Beautiful singer recalled a moving memory of Flint, writing:
At the Q Awards years ago, when @NoelGallagher was saying he was leaving Ibiza because I’d moved there, and @DamonAlbarn refused to be in the same picture as me, and @PaulWellerHQ was saying he’d rather eat his own shit than work with me, Keith Flint came over, gave me a hug, and said how thrilled he was for my success.
PABlunt continued:
Keith, I only met you once, but I shed a tear at the news of your death.
In our business, there are no prizes for being kind, but if there was, that Grammy would be yours.
said how thrilled he was for my success.
Keith, I only met you once, but I shed a tear at the news of your death. In our business, there are no prizes for being kind, but if there was, that Grammy would be yours.
— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) March 4, 2019
The heartfelt tweet was met with a lot of praise on Twitter, with many people noting how kind Flint had been and sharing their own stories of the performer.
One person responded:
That’s genuinly [sic] lovely. I’m reading a lot of people talking about how selflessly kind he was. Thanks for sharing that, kindness is an underrated virtue and its great to hear it.
PAAnother wrote:
He went out his way to say thanks to the bar staff at a venue I used to work at. Don’t remember anyone else doing that. Such a gent.
That's genuinly lovely. I'm reading a lot of people talking about how selflessly kind he was. Thanks for sharing that, kindness is an underrated virtue and its great to hear it.
— Rich (@bogloid) March 4, 2019
He went out his way to say thanks to the bar staff at a venue I used to work at. Don't remember anyone else doing that. Such a gent.
— Sue C (@kincar) March 4, 2019
That's the best tweet. What a beautiful man he was 💙 I've not seen one bad tweet about him. RIP Keith
— ditsychick (@ditsy_chick) March 4, 2019
Flint was clearly a much loved man; he will certainly be missed. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.