Veteran punk rock musician Casey Chaos, lead singer of the band Amen, has died at the age of 59.
Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera announced the news in an Instagram post Saturday, writing, ‘With heartfelt sadness, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Casey Chaos.’
Perera said that ‘Casey wasn’t just an extraordinary musician – he truly lived and breathed the lifestyle.
‘May he rest in peace alongside Rozz Williams and the many tortured souls we admire and respect.’
Chaos, who also took the stage with bands such as Christian Death and Scum, was born October 9, 1965 in Trenton, New York, and raised in Melbourne, Florida, the music news outlet NME reported.
The outlet noted that Chaos, whose real name was Karim Chmielnski, initially was involved in skateboarding as a child, going on tour to perform exhibitions at 10.
Veteran punk rock musician Casey Chaos, lead singer of the band Amen, has died at the age of 59. Pictured performing in London in 1999
Chaos, whose real name was Karim Chmielnski, had a background in skateboarding that led to his career in music
Chaos’ skateboarding pal Duane Peters introduced him to the band Black Flag in 1982, NME reported, leading Chaos to explore a career in music with the band Casey and the Skate Punx.
The band, which also consisted of guitarist Ken Decter, bassist Scot Lade and drummer Bill Erwin, was subsequently renamed Disorderly Conduct, according to NME.
Chaos subsequently relocated to Los Angeles and the group again changed their band name to Amen.
Chaos creatively collaborated with his friend Rikk Agnew, guitarist of the band Christian Death, on the group’s record Iconologia in 1993, according to NME. He had also performed with the group Scum.
Amen released four studio albums over a decadelong span, consisting of Slave (1994), Amen (1999), We Have Come for Your Parents (2000) and Death Before Musick (2004).
Amen was involved with NME’s 2001 tour with the groups Alfie, JJ72 and Starsailor.
Amen began recording a new album in 2014 but was unable to complete it amid touring obligations for Slipknot’s Knotfest.
Chaos had returned to work on the album five years later in 2019, NME reported, but the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the process and the record was never completed.
Cleopatra Records founder Brian Perera announced the news in an Instagram post Saturday
Multiple people involved with music industry paid memorial to Chaos amid news of his death
Fans of Chaos remembered him as ‘an absolute legend’ and ‘so underrated as a performer’
On social media, multiple people involved with music industry paid memorial to Chaos amid news of his death, while fans remembered him as ‘an absolute legend’ and ‘so underrated as a performer.’
‘Rest in peace – Casey Chaos!’ veteran drummer Roy Mayorga said on Instagram. ‘It was great to know you and to call you my friend. I will miss you always. There will never be another one like you … love you brother.’
Former MTV host Matt Pinfield said, ‘My heart has been heavy today because we lost one of my brothers and our friend Casey Chaos. Rest In Peace, my rock and roll brother.’
Guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite, known as MGT, said he was ‘shocked to hear of the passing of our friend Casey Chaos.
‘I know he was in a lot of pain over the years, he really threw himself around onstage back in the day..such a lovely bloke, we just hung out together 2 months ago.’
Journalist Sammy Jones wrote, ‘Really sad to hear the news about Casey Chaos. I did a couple of interviews with him back in the day, which turned into really long, sometimes deep conversations about life.
‘Fond memories of him, and his shows. Another lesson in making every day count. RIP Casey.’
