Martin Phillipps, Frontman of New Zealand Band the Chills, Dead at 61

Martin Phillipps, singer and creative force behind the New Zealand jangle-pop band the Chills, has died at the age of 61.

The Chills’ official social media accounts announced Phillipps’ death in a statement Sunday, “It is with broken hearts the family and friend of Martin Phillipps wish to advise Martin has died unexpectedly. The family ask for privacy at this time.” While cause of death was provided, RNZ reports that Phillipps had been battling liver disease for several years.

Formed by Phillipps in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1980 and signed to the venerable Flying Nun Records, the Chills first achieved regional — and a decade later, international — fame on the backs of acclaimed albums like 1987’s Brave Words and 1990’s Submarine Bells, which topped the album chart in their native country.

The latter album’s “Heavenly Pop Hit,” fittingly, became the group’s biggest single in America, where the Chills developed a cult following over the ensuing decades:

The Chills would sporadically break up during the late Eighties and Nineties, with Phillipps — as the group’s frontman, songwriter, and lone constant member — bringing back the project with revolving lineups. Following a 19-year gap between LPs, the Chills released Silver Bullets in 2015, which was followed three years later by Snow Bound.

Even though Phillipps dealt with health issues in recent years — at one point, hepatitis C from past drug use left him hospitalized and near-death — the band remained active, releasing their album Scatterbrain in 2021 and staging a rare tour of the U.S. the following year.
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“So even though I’m clear of the hepatitis C, I’ve only got like 20 percent of my liver still working,” Phillipps told RNZ in 2019.

“So, we take everything carefully, book the tours carefully. It’s not quite taking a day at a time, but I guess there are no plans for world domination anymore, but at the same time we’re on such a good wave that we ride the sound and see what happens.”