Keith Flint facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Flint
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Flint in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Keith Charles Flint |
| Born | 17 September 1969 Redbridge, London, England |
| Died | 4 March 2019 (aged 49) North End, Essex, England |
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| Years active | 1990–2019 |
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Keith Charles Flint (born 17 September 1969 – died 4 March 2019) was an English singer and dancer. He was a well-known member and vocalist of the electronic dance music group The Prodigy. Keith started as a dancer for the group. Later, he became a lead singer. He sang on two of the group's biggest hits, "Firestarter" and "Breathe". Both of these songs reached number one in the UK in 1996.
Keith Flint also had his own band called Flint. Outside of music, he loved motorcycles. He even owned a motorcycle racing team called Team Traction Control. This team won four Isle of Man TT races in 2015 and 2016. They also competed in the British Superbike Championship.
Contents
Early Life and Growing Up
Keith Flint was born in Redbridge, London, England. His parents were Clive and Yvonne Flint. He was born on 17 September 1969. Keith spent his early childhood in East London. In the mid-1970s, his family moved to Springfield, near Chelmsford, in Essex.
Keith went to the Boswells School in Chelmsford. He later moved to Braintree after finishing school. Keith was a smart student, but he had dyslexia. He was known for being a bit disruptive in class. After school, he worked as a roofer. In the late 1980s, he became very interested in the acid house music scene. As a child, Keith was a fan of the band The Jam. He also listened to groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Music Journey with The Prodigy
Keith Flint met DJ Liam Howlett at a local rave club called the Barn. This club was in Braintree, Essex. Keith really liked Liam's music taste. After Liam gave him a mixtape, Keith was very excited. He told Liam that he should play his songs on stage. Keith and his friend Leeroy Thornhill would dance to the music.
Soon, Keith, Liam, and Leeroy were joined by MC Maxim Reality. Together, they formed the very successful electronic dance group The Prodigy.
In 1996, Keith's role in The Prodigy changed. Before their third album, The Fat of the Land, he became a frontman. He started singing on their hit single "Firestarter". The music video for this song showed off Keith's new and famous punk rock style. He continued to sing lead vocals on the next Prodigy single, "Breathe". Maxim sang backing vocals on this track.
The 1997 album The Fat of the Land also featured Keith's singing. He sang on the songs "Serial Thrilla" and "Fuel My Fire". In 2002, the song "Baby's Got a Temper" was released. Keith wrote this song.
Keith did not sing on the next Prodigy album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004). However, he did appear on the "Hotride (El Batori Mix)". This song was part of the "Hotride" single.
The Prodigy album Invaders Must Die came out on 23 February 2009. Keith sang on many songs on this album. In 2012, Keith also released a song called "War" with the dubstep artist Caspa.
Keith also tried out solo music projects. He had his own punk rock band called Flint. Their first album, Device #1, was never fully released. "Aim4" was their only single that was sold to the public.
Racing Motorcycles
Keith Flint was a big fan of motorcycles. He rode his bike 2,400 kilometers (1,500 miles) from England to southern Spain. He went to watch the 2007 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix. He also took part in club races. He sometimes rode with Lee Thompson from the band Madness.
Keith had his own motorcycle team, Team Traction Control. This team raced in the British Supersport Championship. This was part of the British Superbike Championship. In 2017, they moved up to the main British Superbike Championship. In 2015, Team Traction Control bikes won two Isle of Man TT races. The rider was Ian Hutchinson. The team and Ian Hutchinson won two more races in 2016.
Personal Life and Interests
Keith Flint was married to Mayumi Kai, who is a Japanese DJ. They got married in 2006.
Keith had a tattoo on his stomach that said "Inflicted". This was a reference to a line in his song "Firestarter". Keith enjoyed staying fit. He liked boxing and practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In 2014, Keith bought and fixed up a pub called the Leather Bottle. It was in Pleshey, Essex. He became a popular owner of the pub. Keith had a fun rule: if customers made a "Firestarter" joke when he lit the pub's fire, they had to put a pound in a jar. He stopped being involved with the pub in 2017.
Keith lived in an old Tudor manor house near Dunmow, Essex. He had a small flat track in his garden. He would ride some of his motorcycles there. Keith loved animals. He was also an enthusiastic twitcher, which means he enjoyed watching birds. He built a pond in his garden to attract birds. He also had several dogs and horses at his home.
Passing Away
On 4 March 2019, Essex Police were called to Keith Flint's home. This was in North End, near Great Dunmow, Essex. They were called because people were worried about him. Keith was found dead at his home. He was 49 years old. The police said there was nothing suspicious about his death. An investigation later confirmed he died as a result of hanging.
After his death, The Prodigy's official website went black. They announced his passing and cancelled all their upcoming shows.
Keith Flint's funeral was held on 29 March 2019. Many fans from all over the world came to a public procession. It was about 1.5 miles long. After that, a private ceremony was held at St Mary's Church Bocking. This was near Braintree in Mid-Essex. His family and friends attended, including his wife Mayumi Kai, and his bandmates Liam Howlett, Maxim, and Leeroy Thornhill.
Legacy and Tributes
After Keith's death, many musicians and people from the music industry shared their sadness. They remembered Keith and paid tribute to him. Many people talked about his kind personality. They said he was polite and generous. This was different from his energetic and sometimes wild stage presence.
In June 2019, fashion designer Donatella Versace dedicated her spring/summer 2020 menswear show to Keith. This show was in Milan. Versace was a friend of Keith's. She dressed male models in clothes that looked like his style. The models also had hair like Keith's famous "Firestarter" hairstyle.
When Liam Gallagher performed at Glastonbury Festival in June 2019, he dedicated the song "Champagne Supernova" to Keith.
In the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla, there is a character who looks like Keith Flint. This character is a bard named Keith. He can be found in Essex, England. This is part of a sidequest called "The Prodigy". A writer for the game, Kristen McGorry, said that these references were meant to honor Keith and The Prodigy.
On 5 August 2021, a Crowdfunder campaign was started. It was by the music and mental wellbeing festival "Headstock". The goal was to have street artist Akse P19 paint a mural of Keith Flint.
Discography
With The Prodigy
- Experience (1992) (He was a dancer during a live track)
- Music for the Jilted Generation (1994) (He was a band member, but did not perform vocals)
- The Fat of the Land (1997)
- Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 (2005)
- Invaders Must Die (2009)
- World's on Fire (2011)
- The Day Is My Enemy (2015)
- No Tourists (2018)
With Flint
- Device #1 (2003) (Only released as a promo)
See also
In Spanish: Keith Flint para niños
