On January 24, the Fall’s Mark E. Smith died at the age of 60. His siblings Barbara, Suzanne and Caroline have now disclosed the cause of death: terminal lung and kidney cancer. They revealed the news in a statement on the Fall’s website. Smith “fought a long and hard battle after his diagnosis,” according to the statement. “He took every treatment going, which could be brutal at times and left Mark with some horrible side effects,” they write. “Mark was such a strong man and hated letting his fans down and tried to carry on regardless against all advice.”
The statement goes on, “Mark had a great life and loved and lived it to the full and always by his own rules and we, as his sisters were privileged to be part of it too. Mark is at peace now and pain free, but we, his three sisters have been left heartbroken and will miss our big brother very much.” In the wake of his death, musicians and figures from throughout the entertainment industry honored Smith’s legacy and influence. Among them were Cat Power, Pixies, Edgar Wright, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, Gorillaz, and more.
