Genesis P-Orridge, Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle co-founder, dies at 70
Iconoclastic transgender musician Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, best known as part of the influential industrial band Throbbing Gristle and the experimental pop group Psychic TV, has died, according to P-Orridge’s manager.
The artist was 70.
P-Orridge manager Ryan Martin confirmed the artist’s death on Facebook on Saturday, posting a statement from daughters Genesse and Caresse P-Orridge.
“It is with very heavy hearts that we announce thee passing of our beloved father, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge,” they wrote. “S/he had been battling leukemia for two and a half years and dropped he/r body early this morning.”
The post said P-Orridge “will be laid to rest with h/er other half, Jacqueline ‘Lady Jaye’ Breyer who left us in 2007, where they will be reunited.”
P-Orridge, born Neil Andrew Megson, was long a critic of gender norms and preferred gender-neutral pronouns. The artist began undergoing gender reassignment surgery in the mid-’00s.
P-Orridge first earned attention as founder of Throbbing Gristle, which originated in 1975 and became known for using white noise and abrasive sounds in its compositions. P-Orridge’s follow-up, Psychic TV, known for its use of video, debuted in 1982.
P-Orridge “submitted that pure noise could be as expressive as a musical instrument,” wrote Times music writer Randall Roberts in an October interview with the musician, two years after s/he was diagnosed with leukemia.
P-Orridge, a crucial figure in experimental music and transgender visibility, has Stage IV leukemia. Their new art exhibit, Pandrogeny, opens in L.A. this week.
Asked how s/he stays optimistic amid their illness and the current state of politics, P-Orridge said: “All around us are wonderful young people who have realized that definitions are meaningless and that they are individual beings who choose to become self-created. They are our hope.”
Please check back for more from Roberts on P-Orridge.
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
