Jaki Liebezeit, drummer and founding member of Krautrock legends Can, has died. The band confirmed his passing on their official Facebook page. “It is with great sadness we have to announce that Jaki passed away this morning from sudden pneumonia,” the band wrote. “He fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. We will miss him hugely.” He was 78.
While Liebezeit was arguably best known for his work with Can, some of his earliest recordings were as a member of Manfred Schoof’s bands in the late 1960s. He appeared on Brian Eno’s Before and After Science as well as solo records by Neu!’s Michael Rother. He would later collaborate with Depeche Mode and the Eurythmics. He formed drum-centric groups Drums Off Chaos and Club Off Chaos.
Liebezeit recorded with Can for all the band’s studio albums, and performed and recorded throughout his life. In recent years, the drummer released collaborative records with Robert Coyne, Holger Mertin, Burnt Friedman, and Hans Joachim Irmler. He was set to reunite with Can’s Irmin Schmidt and Malcolm Mooney in April for a concert billed under the name “The Can Project.”
