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ENTERTAINMENT-BRITAIN-MUSIC-FLINT-DEATH
Prodigy star Flint died from hanging: inquest
LONDON, March 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Keith Flint, the frontman of British
rave icons The Prodigy, died as a result of hanging, an inquest heard Monday.
The singer, 49, was found dead on March 4 at his home in a village in
Essex, northeast of London.
Flint took his own life, according to his Prodigy bandmate Liam Howlett.
Coroner’s officer Lynsey Chaffe told a brief inquest hearing in the Essex
capital Chelmsford that a post-mortem examination was carried out on
Thursday.
The provisional medical cause of death is hanging, she said, adding that
toxicology reports are awaited and the investigation remains open.
“Police attended, all protocols were followed and his death was confirmed
as not suspicious,” Chaffe said.
The inquest was adjourned until a full hearing on July 23.
In English law, inquests are held to examine sudden or unexplained deaths.
They set out to determine the identity of the deceased, the place and time
of death as well as how the deceased came by their death, but they do not
apportion blame.
The Prodigy were one of the most influential acts to emerge from the
underground rave scene.
Their biggest hits included “Firestarter” and “Breathe” in 1996 and “Smack
My Bitch Up” in 1997, which merged intense dance beats with elements of rap
and punk to create energy-driven music.
Newspapers suggested Flint had recently been in private turmoil, having
split from his wife. His death came days after he put his farmhouse up for
sale.
Flint had taken part in a five-kilometre (three-mile) local community run
in Chelmsford on March 2.
The explosive vocalist may have cut a frightening impression on stage: a
frenzied whirlwind of fierce energy with fluorescent, spiked-up hair, manic
stare, numerous tattoos and body piercings.
But unlikely figures from across the world of music described him as going
out of his way to be amiable.
On Sunday, Howlett thanked people for their tributes to Flint.
“They have really touched us and kept us going this week,” he said on the
band’s Instagram page.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1812 hrs