REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Andrew Weatherall death: Pioneer British DJ-producer was a titan whose music defined a generation

He died at 56 after undergoing treatment in a hospital for pulmonary embolism
UPDATED FEB 18, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Earlier, a spokesperson confirmed that the beloved DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall had died on February 17 morning. He was 56 when he passed away and the cause of death was reported to be a pulmonary embolism.

"He was being treated in hospital but unfortunately the blood clot reached his heart. His death was swift and peaceful," an official statement said. "His family and friends are profoundly saddened by his death and are taking time to gather their thoughts."

DJ Andrew Weatherall at the 2011 Apple Cart Festival (Getty Images)

Weatherall was known as one of the most highly sought-after DJs in the UK after rising to fame during the acid house era.

He played at the London nightclub Shoom with DJ Danny Rampling, and helped document rave culture with the fanzine 'Boys Own' — a title he later bestowed on his own record label. His blossoming DJ career led to Weatherall remixing New Order's 'Worlds in Motion' and the Happy Mondays' track 'Hallelujah' along with DJ Paul Oakenfold.

On the strength of this work, the band Primal Scream asked him to remix their single 'I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have'. The result was the hugely successful 'Loaded', which catapulted the rock band onto the dance floor and jump-started their career. Weatherall's work on the era-defining album 'Screamadelica' also earned Primal Scream the inaugural Mercury Prize in 1992.

Besides remixing artistes like St Etienne, Beth Orton and My Bloody Valentine, Weatherall also held a DJ slot on London's Kiss FM and also ran two club nights in London.

Weatherall actually started his career by singing with local post-punk bands, but eventually found his calling as a DJ in the late 1980s.

Weatherall explained, "I just got a really good record collection together to the point where people started to say 'Why don't you play this at our party?', 'Why don't you play this at our club?'"

When the acid house scene started to grow in Sutton, he discovered that club nights were actually playing a lot of the music that he already owned. "I knew I had records as good as that, or even better, that they might not know," Weatherall said, adding, "I was kind of in the right place at the right time."

Hacienda DJ Graeme Park revealed that Weatherall "defined a generation" with his "unique take on remixing and producing". He said, "If I'm doing a gig and Andrew Weatherall was on, I’d definitely stay and listen because I didn’t know what to expect."

The Ride guitarist and former Oasis bassist, Andy Bell, described Weatherall as an "absolute titan of music". The BBC 6 Music DJ Gilles Peterson said it was impossible to articulate the "influence and impact he has had on UK culture".

DJ Andrew Weatherall performs on stage with Sabresonic, London, 1994 (Getty Images)

DJ and author Dave Haslam posted on social media after hearing the sad news, saying that the DJ was "one of the greatest, sweetest, funniest guys I've ever met". Tim Burgess from The Charlatans said he was "shocked and saddened to hear that cosmic traveler Andrew Weatherall has left the building".

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh revealed that he was "absolutely distraught" to learn of Weatherall's passing. "Andrew was a longtime friend, collaborator and one of the most talented persons I've known. Also one of the nicest. Genius is an overworked term but I'm struggling to think of anything else that defines him." He will be sorely missed.

POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW