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Martin Phillipps, founder of New Zealand rock band the Chills, dies at 61

Band set up by guitarist and lead singer in 1980 garnered cult following in Europe and US and had a number of hits

Speaking to RNZ in 2019, Phillipps said: “No one foresaw the impact of the digital revolution, of massive changes in music, with Nirvana, with hip-hop, and all sorts of things, that we could so quickly become redundant and old-fashioned.” A documentary about the band, The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps, in 2019 shone a light on Philipps’ life, including being told he may only have months to live due to the hepatitis C he contracted in the 1990s. The band’s official website referred to Philllips as having a “single-minded determination to take quality, original NZ-sounding, melodic rock music global”.

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