Philippe Cerboneschi, known professionally as Philippe Zdar and as one half of the French electronic outfit Cassius, has reportedly passed away at the age of 50.
In a report made by the AFP, Philippe Zdar’s agent revealed that the veteran musician passed away Wednesday night France time, after falling from a 19-storey building,
“He made an accidental fall, through the window of a high floor of a Parisian building,” Sebastien Farran explained without any further details.
First forming Cassius back in the late ’80s alongside Hubert Blanc-Francard (better known as Boom Bass), the pair rose to prominence throughout the ’90s after releasing their own singles in addition to remixes of tracks by artists such as fellow Frenchmen Air.
Working with artists as varied as Ghostface Killah, Beastie Boys, Pharrell Williams,, Phoenix, and The Rapture, the pair were highly-respected in the world of music.
Famously, their 2010 track ‘I <3 U So’ spawned a viral iPhone app, and was even sampled in the track ‘Why I Love You’ from Kanye West and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne record.
— FUNKLORDZ (@Chromeo) June 20, 2019
So sad to hear of the passing of Philippe Zdar. ‘Feeling For You’ was one of the first singles I ever bought. For anyone not familiar with his work, @CASSIUSOFFICIAL & Zdar laid the ground work for a lot of today’s dance music. Hugely inspirational. RIP https://t.co/Dav7aTETCV
— Flight Facilities (@flightfac) June 20, 2019
Shocked & devastated by the news of Philippe Zdar’s passing away, he was responsible for so much amazing & influential music, truly a tragic loss. RIP 💔💔💔
— The Aston Shuffle (@theastonshuffle) June 20, 2019
A number of artists have also taken to social media to share their thoughts towards Philippe Zdar’s passing, including Australian acts such as The Aston Shuffle and Flight Facilities.
“So sad to hear of the passing of Philippe Zdar,” wrote Flight Facilities. “‘Feeling For You’ was one of the first singles I ever bought.
“For anyone not familiar with his work, Cassius & Zdar laid the ground work for a lot of today’s dance music. Hugely inspirational.”
News of Zdar’s passing comes just one day before the release of Cassius’ fifth album, Dreems. At this stage though, it is unclear whether or not the record will still be released as planned, or if recent circumstances might see it delayed.
Our thoughts go out to the friends, family, and musical acquaintances of Philippe Zdar at this terrible time.
Check out ‘Feeling For You’ by Cassius:
