According to a tweet from record label Dais Records, one of the most important figures in long history of experimental music, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge has died at age 70. S/he had been diagnosed with myelomonocytic leukemia in 2017. H/er daughters Genesse and Caresse shared the statement with Dais Records founder Ryan Martin. The statement reads:
“It is with very heavy hearts that we announce thee passing of our beloved father, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge. S/he had been battling leukemia for two and a half years and dropped he/r body early this morning, Saturday March 14th, 2020. S/he will be laid to rest with h/er other half, Jaqueline “Lady Jaye” Breyer who left us in 2007, where they will be re-united. Thank you for your love and support and for respecting our privacy as we are grieving. Caresse & Genesse P-Orridge”
P-Orridge is known as the founding member of iconic experimental/industrial acts Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, earning the nickname “Godparent of Industrial Music.” S/he identified as third-gender, using the preferred pronouns of s/he and h/er.
S/he was born in Manchester, England and grew an interest in avant-garde art and music at the Solihull School in Warwickshire. After dropping out of college and living at a commune for a few months, s/he joined the COUM Transmissions art collective and eventually was the leader of the Dadaist group during the late 60s and early 70s. Near the end of h/er run at the collective, Throbbing Gristle was founded with Chris Carter, Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson, and Cosey Fanni Tutti. That band released their debut in 1977, the much-lauded The Second Annual Report, which featured live and studio recordings. Then came D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle in 1978, which is lauded as one of the most important records in the history of industrial music with its transgressive approach to electronic music. It was far from the final report of Throbbing Gristle, as they continued to release music through the ’00s. During a period in which Throbbing Gristle had broken up, P-Orridge founded the video and music collective Psychic TV. That group released a breathtaking amount of work, including over 100 albums of music.
The Jaqueline “Lady Jaye” Breyer that P-Orridge’s daughters refer to is the artist’s longtime partner, who died tragically in 2007. P-Orridge and Lady Jaye were married in 1995 and embarked on the Pandrogeny Project, in which the two artists attempted to become one “pandrogyne,” a single entity. The two used techniques including surgical procedures to look more like each other. S/he continued the project after Lady Jaye died in 2007 due to a heart condition that was possibly linked to cancer.
Leave a Comment