Former CELTIC FROST bassist Martin Eric Ain died yesterday (Saturday, October 21) after suffering a heart attack at the age of 50. His death was confirmed by Ain 's close friend Jan Graber , who told Switzerland's 20 Minuten that Martin "suddenly collapsed when he switched to a different tram."
Graber was not aware of any serious health problems that Ain , who was born in the U.S.A., may have had. "He was somewhat overweight, clearly."
Still, Ain 's death came as a complete surprise to Graber .
"We had lunch only two weeks ago," he said. "He was as doing as well as ever."
Thomas Gabriel Fischer , who played with Martin in both HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST , said in a social media post that he was "deeply affected by [ Martin 's] passing. Our relationship was very complex and definitely not free of conflicts, but Martin 's life and mine were very closely intertwined, since we first met in 1982," he wrote.
Norwegian bassist King Ov Hell (real name Tom Cato Visnes ; GORGOROTH , GOD SEED , AUDREY HORNE ) also commented on Ain 's death. He said: "I just learned that my dear friend Martin Ain passed away at age 50. His work with CELTIC FROST and HELLHAMMER has been a huge inspiration for me and thousands of others. Rest in peace, my friend!"
Meanwhile, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante remembered Ain on Twitter as "one of the nicest, intelligent and creative people I've ever known."
Former CARCASS and current ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott tweeted: "One of the early purveyors of extreme musical darkness in metal has left us."
PARADISE LOST singer Nick Holmes wrote: "Very sad to hear about Martin Ain . Another one gone too soon."
Born Martin Stricker , Martin Eric Ain became an entrepreneur owned a DVD shop and bar in Zurich, called Acapulco. He was also a co-owner of the music club Mascotte, which became well known for hosting up-and-coming international bands. Since 2004, he had been the host of the "Karaoke From Hell" show, taking place every Tuesday night at Mascotte.
Ain handled lead vocals on the song "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh" on CELTIC FROST 's final album, "Monotheist" .
In a 2006 interview with Metal Rules , Ain said that, unlike Fischer , he preferred to keep a low profile when he wasn't performing with CELTIC FROST . "I'm exhibitionist enough already with the interviews and on stage," he explained. "I like to let the music speak for itself and the stage performances speak for themselves. I already think Tom does that, Tom does that communication. That's his space, his way of communicating, his views, his beliefs. Some of them are mine. I differ. Not my style."
CELTIC FROST reformed in 2001 and released its comeback album "Monotheist" via Century Media / Prowling Death in 2006. The band broke up in 2008, with Fischer going on to form TRIPTYKON .
Ain is survived by his longtime partner, his brother and his father.
Image courtesy of Banger TV Via Blabbermouth
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