A lo 59 años falleció Bill Rieflin, destacado baterista y colaborador de R.E.M, King Crimson y Ministry, entre otras bandas.

La noticia la dio a conocer a través de redes sociales Toyah Willcox, cantante, actriz y esposa de Robert Fripp, fundador de King Crimson, una de las últimas bandas donde se desempeñó.

“Nuestro querido y magnífico Bill Rieflin ha dejado este mundo. Un ser humano muy querido”, comentó la intérprete en su cuenta en Facebook, en un mensaje que rápidamente fue viralizado.

Desde 2003 a 2011, año en que anunciaron su receso, Rieflin colaboró como baterista de R.E.M., ocupando el puesto de Bill Berry.

A lo largo de su carrera, también participó de las formaciones de Swans, Pigface y Nine Inch Nails, entre otras, destacando como un cotizado baterista de sesión.

“Tracy (esposa de Bill) nos dijo a Toyah y a mí que el día era gris y, cuando Bill se alejó volando, las nubes se abrieron y los cielos estuvieron azules durante unos quince minutos. ¡Vuela, hermano Bill! Mi vida es muchísimo más rica por conocerte”, reflexionó Robert Fripp en su perfil en Facebook.

View this post on Instagram

A fitting and uplifting tribute on the sad occasion of the passing of legendary drummer Bill Rieflin written by a good friend of REMHQ, @kai_riedl, which we wanted to share with all of you: “The great drummer and friend to many, Bill Rieflin, has passed over to the flip side of life, death. Not only did he rock with Ministry, Swans, Robert Fripp, Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson and and many many more, but he was the solid backbone to R.E.M. for many years. He had a depth and sincerity that I cherished to be around, and a humor that always had a foot in the playful yet never shallow. I feel comforted that Bill was a contemplative soul, had a strong meditation practice and never averted the actual meaning of life. He would always dive into it with you. I see his passing as him merely entering a vast ocean, and diving into waters he had familiarized himself with already. He's a great reminder: rock hard, swim the waters often, take the right things seriously, laugh at yourself.”

A post shared by R.E.M. (@rem) on

View this post on Instagram

Bill Rieflin (1960-2020) It is with heavy hearts we acknowledge the death of our dear friend and consummate drummer, Bill. Bill sent me this picture last week of him and Lenny Kaye earlier this month when the Patti Smith Group were in town and they got to hang out. He was elated to see such great friends and gather at his favorite weird Chinese-American diner. A forever memory is decades old, when I first met Bill at a late night Policeman’s bar in Seattle, sat at a greasy table drinking scotch, and we listened to ‘Birdland’ off the jukebox in reverent silence and awe. His attentiveness to that song then and there indicated a lot to me about what it would be to work with Bill— which commenced to create some magical and beautiful collaborations and life long friendships. And so to Bill now, he is among all the fine points of the stars and we are looking up with love— and with our own reverence for his beauty, his humor, his relentless curiosity and of course his incredible musical ear, his time here with us so precious and golden. —-Michael Photo of Bill and Michael, West Seattle, 2019

A post shared by R.E.M. (@rem) on