Composer, violinist and filmmaker Tony Conrad died yesterday at 76 after a long battle with prostate cancer.
I saw him perform once, at the De Stijl/Freedom From festival - solo amplified violin behind and in front of a white scrim lit by a single powerful bulb. It was really intense and my recollection was that there were not that many people in attendance (surprising, considering this was 2003 and he'd already gotten notoriety among the experimental/indie weirdo circuit).
He worked in the '60s with La Monte Young and John Cale, in the early '70s recorded with Faust, and came to prominence in the 90s through collaborations with Gastr del Sol and others. Revisiting his work this weekend, it's strikingly beautiful and now I find it much easier to take in than I did 20 years ago.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/arts/artsspecial/tony-conrad-experimental-filmmaker-and-musician-dies-at-76.html