Martin Phillipps of The Chills Has Died At Age 61

Family and friends of Martin Phillipps announced to stunned fans last night the iconic frontman of The Chills has died unexpectedly at age 61, requesting privacy at this time. A widely beloved, musically gifted figure, synonymous with Aotearoa songwriting excellence and the distinctive Dunedin Sound associated with early Flying Nun Records, Phillipps has given us numerous undeniable classics — including his ubiquitous 'Heavenly Pop Hit', 'Pink Frost' and 'I Love My Leather Jacket'.

The debut release from The Chills was a side of the seminal 1982 Dunedin Double EP (alongside The Verlaines, Sneaky Feeelings and The Stones). Phillipps' following four decade plus musical journey and struggle with hepatitis C was explored in co-directors Julia Parnell and Rob Curry's must-see 2019 documentary The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps (viewable free via DocPlay HERE until 5th August). Phillipps released seven official studio albums and several EPs / compilations with The Chills since their formation in 1980, famously incorporating an ever-rotating lineup of more than 30 members — including at various junctures Peter Gutteridge, David Kilgour (who reconvened with Phillipps in Pop Art Toasters), Jane Dodd, Terry Moore, Justin Harwood, Martyn Bull, Peter Allison, and many more.

We were honoured to host Phillipps and his 2021 version of The Chills for an episode of our Trash Recital series produced by Sports Team, which felt special at the time and feels even more so now. We encourage you to read Andrew Schmidt's AudioCulture profile of The Chills HERE as well as Russell Brown's two-part Rip It Up 1987 European tour diary with The Chills, republished by AudioCulture HERE.

The chills were such a huge band to me growing up RIP Martin Phillipps, guitar legend, strange geniushttps://t.co/CoqDKiKekL

— amelia synthesizer (@Mealy_Worm) July 28, 2024

I heard in the last hour that Martin Phillipps has died. His health had been precarious for a while, but it's still a great shock; it was unexpected. I'm so glad we caught up a couple of times this year and got to talk like the old days, but I'm feeling very sad right now.

— Russell Brown (@publicaddress) July 28, 2024

sad day for new zealanders and anyone who loves good music

— UMO (@UMO) July 28, 2024

This is a sad day for the NZ music family. We are so lucky to have played with The Chills in Dunedin just a couple of years ago. Martin wrote many of our best songs. https://t.co/gYD2ow6JWu

— The Phoenix Foundation (@phoenixfound) July 28, 2024

Stunned to hear Martin Phillipps from The Chills has died. Anyone who knows me knows ‘House with a Hundred Rooms’ by The Chills is my favourite song. Such a singular, important band to many far & wide. Re-sharing one of my favourite things to have written.https://t.co/Lca4NB1Rmf

— Kiran Dass (@SteelyDass) July 28, 2024