Martin Phillipps dead at 61: Frontman of New Zealand band the Chills has ‘died unexpectedly’

The Chills’ official social media accounts said: “It is with broken hearts the family and friends of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin Phillipps has died unexpectedly. The family ask for privacy at this time. Funeral arrangements will be advised in due course.”

Fans and former colleagues took to Instagram to share their own memories of Martin Phillipps and one said: “I am terribly saddened to hear this news. Martin was such a lovely guy, and of course, such a gifted songwriter and musician. I had known since Dunedin days in the 70s, always open for a friendly chat, whenever he bought records (quite often). The Chills were magic in concert. Rest in peace, Martin. The winter frost down south will be turning a shade of pink,” whilst another said: “Such a huge loss. A musical giant and a kind soul.”

More recently, The Chills’ official Instagram account has posted details about Martin Phillipps’ forthcoming funeral and wrote: “Martins funeral will be held Friday 9 August at 2pm at Hope and Sons Dunedin, followed by a private cremation. The funeral will be live-streamed with details to follow. Thank you for all your kind messages.”

The Chills were formed by Martin Phillipps in New Zealand in 1980 and their album Submarine Bells in 1990 topped the album charts in their native country. Rolling Stone reported that “The Chills would sporadically break up during the late Eighties and Nineties, with Phillipps — as the group’s frontman, songwriter, and lone constant member — bringing back the project with revolving lineups. Following a 19-year gap between LPs, the Chills released Silver Bullets in 2015, which was followed three years later by Snow Bound.”

Although Martin Phillips died unexpectedly and a cause of death has yet to be released, he suffered from previous ill health.

He suffered from liver disease after suffering from a near death experience with hepatitis C in the 1990s that was revealed in the 2019 documentary entitled The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps.

Before his death, Martin Phillipps and his band were working on a new double album, according to Pitchfork, it was “tentatively titled Springboard: Early Unrecorded Songs. It features rewritten and reworked material that “went by the wayside” during the seven years it took to create their debut album, Brave Words”