Stephen Jones, former member of the Australian electronic music group Severed Heads, has died at the age of 75.
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His family announced his death via Facebook on Oct. 9.
“Stephen was viciously assaulted outside his studio on Tuesday,” the post revealed. “After loving visits from friends over the course of the day, Stephen died peacefully on Thursday afternoon. Stephen left this world with brother Ian and partner Wendy holding his hands. He was surrounded by friends.”
The post called Jones’ death “gentle, observant and reverent.” The staff of the ICU at the hospital were also praised for treating him with “thoughtful care and deep respect.”
“Stephen left this world in dignity and surrounded by love,” the post continued, adding he “always said he wanted to go out in full consciousness.”
While the family “could not do that for him,” he died “pain free and at peace.”
Following his death, Jones’ body remained with the coroner for further investigation including a forensic post mortem.
“A suspect has been arrested, charged with manslaughter, he appeared in court Thursday morning and is being held without bail,” the family shared. They implored the public to “respect the ongoing investigation, chain of evidence, and refrain from speculation, and sharing unverified information.”
“This is an ongoing investigation and we want justice for Stephen. The family is working with police, and are unable to supply any further details to you at this time. We ask for privacy during this difficult experience.”
Jones joined Severed Heads in 1982, becoming a key member until his departure in 1992. He was also a video artist and electronics engineer who developed analogue video synthesisers that the group used in their performances.
In addition to his time in the band, he was also a curator and archivist. He co-curated the Videotapes From Australia collection, which toured internationally in 1979 and 1980. And he produced a series of videos exploring the intersections of art and technology.
Jones received the New Media Arts Fellowship from the Australia Council for the Arts in 1996. In 2011, he published Synthetics: Aspects of Art and Technology in Australia, 1956–1975 through MIT Press.