90s Music Star Dies After Cirrhosis Battle

90s music icon Douglas McCarthy has passed away at the age of 58, his bandmates confirmed. 

Born and raised in Essex, the musician co-founded electric body music band Nitzer Ebb, who thrived throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. 

The group announced his passing on their official social media channels on Thursday. 

Their statement read: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025. 

‘We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time. 

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90s music icon Douglas McCarthy has passed away at the age of 58, his bandmates confirmed, (pictured in 2011) 

Born and raised in Essex, the musician (far right) co-founded electric body music band Nitzer Ebb, who thrived throughout the 1980s and early 1990s (Pictured L-R with David Gooday, Simon Granger, Bon Harris)

‘We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon.’

While Douglas’s cause of death is yet to be confirmed, he was forced to pull out of a European tour with Nitzer Ebb in March 2024 due to liver cirrhosis. 

Douglas said at the time that the disease had been caused by ‘years of alcohol abuse… for over two years I have not been drinking, but recovery is a long process.’

Nitzer Ebb was formed by McCarthy and bandmates Bon Harris and David Gooday in Chelmsford, Essex, in 1982 before the band went onto pioneer the British industrial music scene. 

With a stripped down and aggressive style, the group shot to stardom by combining combined synthesizers with incredibly raw vocals.

Front man Douglas was at the forefront of his band’s success, leading Nitzer Ebb with a style he described as ‘shouting and pointing’. 

The band released their debut album That Total Age in 1987 before going onto release a string of projects the following decade including Showtime and Ebbhead. 

They broke up in 1996 but got back together in 2006 and had been touring ever since. Later this year, McCarthy and his bandmates had been set to embark on a tour of North America. 

Nitzer Ebb released their debut album That Total Age in 1987 before going onto release a string of projects the following decade including Showtime and Ebbhead (Douglas pictured on the right)

Frontman Douglas was at the forefront of his band’s success, leading Nitzer Ebb with a style he described as ‘shouting and pointing’

A host of supporters paid tribute to Douglas following his death this week, including co-founder Bon Harris. 

The 59-year-old described his band mate as ‘one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known’, calling his passing a ‘profound loss’. 

Other tributes read: ‘I hope he knew how much he was loved and appreciated by his fans’, 

‘Just heartbreaking. Very underrated band and he was a very nice guy when I met him in 1990. RIP.’, 

‘So sad to learn of his passing. Just saw NE (Nitzer Ebb) without him last month in Detroit and, of course, it wasn’t the same without him. His voice and sound was so influential and it rocked my world in the 90s. Was lucky to get to see them perform 3 times. Was said to learn his liver was failing from alcohol abuse and he had to quit touring because of it. RIP Douglas McCarthy!’,

‘A true pioneer. Absolute energy and passion into every song. Really struggling to come to terms with this’.