Pinkish Black singer-keyboardist Daron Beck has died, aged 48

Pinkish Black singer and keyboardist Daron Beck has died.

His band’s label Relapse Records confirmed the news yesterday (August 24) in a social media post. Several reports state that Beck was 48 at the time of death, which is due to an undisclosed medical illness.

“Daron was a kind, tremendously funny, and gentle soul that made some of the most creative and compelling music ever released on Relapse Records,” the label states. “Our hearts go out to his partner Lisa, mom Debbie, bandmate Jon, and everyone else that was lucky enough to cross paths with him.”

We at Relapse Records are saddened by the loss of Daron Beck of Pinkish Black and Zombi and Friends from a medical illness. Daron was a kind, tremendously funny, and gentle soul that made some of the most creative and compelling music ever released on Relapse Records. Our hearts… pic.twitter.com/W14hDaxKNl

— Relapse Records (@RelapseRecords) August 23, 2024

Pinkish Black was formed in 2010 by Beck and drummer Jon Teague in Fort Worth, Texas. The band’s unique style of synth-powered doom metal – which was also accented by an experimental and free-wheeling approach towards other genres like gothic rock and vaporwave – got them attention from Century Media Records.

The label released their sophomore album ‘Razed to the Ground’, along with Relapse, who signed the band in 2014 and released their two final albums, the last of which was 2019’s ‘Concept Unification’. In 2020, the duo collaborated with psych-jazz outfit Yells at Eels for the album ‘Vanishing Light in the Tunnel of Dreams’.

Aside from Pinkish Black, Beck was also a member of Zombi & Friends, a collective devised by Relapse colleagues Zombi, along with Information_Age, a synth-pop duo he formed with doom metal band Pallbearer’s Joe Rowland.

In 2018, Beck suffered a heart attack, with a GoFundMe campaign set up on behalf of him to help pay for medical bills. In a Fort Worth Weekly interview, he revealed that he had actually suffered two heart attacks. “My dad had his first attack at 44 … I’ve been smoking close to two packs a day since I started smoking when I was 11. And I ate a lot of beef,” he admitted, adding that he was then planning to quit smoking and drinking, and live a healthier lifestyle.

Pallbearer issued a statement in tribute to Beck, whom the band “considered part of our extended Pallbearer family.”

“He was immensely talented, effortlessly unique, humble and generous with his creativity and wit,” they write. “We shared the stage with his band numerous times over the years, as well as a musical collaboration via a project between [Beck] and [Rowland]. We will forever cherish our times together, the most recent being a long overdue catch-up after our recent performance in Dallas. So long and rest in peace, dear friend”.

Pop culture podcast Night Flight shared a tribute to Beck, who had previously been a guest on the show. The podcast shared a clip from a past episode, which saw Beck and the hosts watching an American Idol audition he did in 2005 at age 28.

“Daron was best known for his incredible music and dry, witty humor. He will be deeply missed,” they write.

See other tributes to Beck below.