SAN FRANCISCO (CelebrityAccess) — Hardy Fox, co-founder and longtime president of the avant-garde art collective The Residents, has died.
The Residents confirmed Fox’s passing in a statement posted to their website and social media:
“It is with great sorrow and regret that The Cryptic Corporation announces the passing of longtime associate, Hardy Fox. As president of the corporation from 1982-2016, the company benefited from Hardy’s instinct for leadership and direction, but his true value came from his longtime association with The Residents. As the group’s producer, engineer, as well as collaborator on much of their material, Fox’s influence on The Residents was indelible; despite any formal training, his musicality was nevertheless unique, highly refined and prolific. Blessed with a vital sense of aesthetics, a keen ear, and an exquisite love of the absurd, Hardy’s smiling face was a constant source of joy to those around him. He will be missed.”
The group released few details about a cause of death for Fox, and stated that he died following a series of health problems and after a brief illness. However, Fox hinted previously that he may be suffering from a form of brain cancer.
“Hi from, me, Hardy. Yes got sick, making my pass out of this world, but it is “all” okay. I have something in my brain that will last to a brief end. I am 73 as you might know. Brains go down. But maybe here is my brain functioning as I’m almost a dead person just a bit of go yet. Doctors have put me on drugs, LOL, for right now,” he wrote in a social media post in September.
A native of Texas who transplanted to San Fran in 1967, Fox helped found the group in 1969 and served as the primary composer for the group until 2015, according to his website. The group was known for their surrealist deconstruction of western music and the use of creative costumes, in particular, large, eyeball masks to conceal their identities.
While the group’s membership was often an open question, their prodigious output was not and the group released more than 40 studio albums since their 1974 debut.
In addition to his work with The Residents, Fox also had a solo career and recorded under several names Charles Bobuck, Combo de Mechanico, Sonido de la Noche, Chuck, TAR, among others.
Fox was survived by his husband, Steven Kloman.
