Influential ambient musician and one half of Stars of the Lid, Brian McBride, has died at age 53 according to his label Kranky (via Pitchfork) .

“I am deeply saddened to tell everyone that Brian McBride has passed away. I loved this guy & he will be missed,” the band wrote on Instagram. The cause of death has not yet been shared.

McBride is said to have had a massive impact on ambient and electronic music through his work with the group.

After moving to Austin, Texas in 1990, McBride formed Stars of the Lid in 1993 alongside Adam Wiltzie.

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Brian Eno, Arvo Pärt, and Talk Talk, the pair often used guitars, piano, strings, and horns for their trademark classical-inspired drone.

 

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The band recorded six studio albums together, beginning with 1995’s Music for Nitrous Oxide. Their last LP as a band was 2007’s And Their Refinement of the Decline.

The latter chunk of the Stars of the Lid discography was created by McBride and Wiltzie separately from one another. This reportedly allowed each musician to reflect on each other’s contributions in a more deliberate, relaxed fashion.

“Working on the music, for me, it’s kind of important to not fake it in some ways, to not try to force this emotional state out of it, to sort of pay attention to what’s going on in your life”, McBride said to Rolling Stone in 2015.  “If you’re feeling inspired or motivated just letting it happen, especially after you’ve released a bunch of records for a long time, you don’t want to manufacture longing.”