SOPHIE performs at Mojave Tent during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
Scottish singer Sophie Xeon, otherwise known by her stage name SOPHIE, died early Saturday morning (30 January) after “climbing to watch the full moon” before “slipping”, her label said.
The pioneering record producer, who with her abrasive and avant-garde style collaborated with a constellation of celebrities, from Madonna to Lady Gaga, passed away after going to see the first full moon of 2021.
In Athens, Greece, where SOPHIE had been living at the time, the 34-year-old “climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell”, a social media statement signed by her British music label Transgressive and management Future Classic said.
It was a moment “true to her spirituality”, the statement added.
— Transgressive (@transgressiveHQ) January 30, 2021
“Tragically, our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident.
“She will always be here with us. The family thank everyone for their love and support and request privacy at this devastating time.”
SOPHIE, producer to the stars and trans visionary, remembered as an ‘icon of liberation’
Representatives of SOPHIE previously said in a statement to the press: “It is with profound sadness that I have to inform you that musician and producer SOPHIE passed away this morning around 4am in Athens, where the artist had been living, following a sudden accident.
“At this time respect and privacy for the family is our priority. We would also ask for respect for her fanbase, and to treat the private nature of this news with sensitivity.
“SOPHIE was a pioneer of a new sound, one of the most influential artists in the last decade.
“Not only for ingenious production and creativity but also for the message and visibility that was achieved.
“An icon of liberation.”
The Grammy-nominated musician first burst onto the European club circuit in the early 2010s before quickly emerging as one of British music’s modern-day pioneers – but one shrouded in secrecy.
Concealing her identity for much of her career, SOPHIE electrified pop music all the while sparking rumours among her fans about who she really was. That is, until 2017.
Dropping “It’s Okay To Cry” in 2017, the accompanying music video was the first time she used her voice and image in her work – shattering years-long speculation about her identity.
She later opened up about being a trans woman, telling Paper magazine in 2018: “Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive.
“It means you’re not a mother or a father – you’re an individual who’s looking at the world and feeling the world.”