Boney M founder Frank Farian has died aged 82, his family has announced.
The renowned German music producer and singer, who was known for his hits Rasputin and Daddy Cool and sold more than 800 million records, died peacefully in his apartment in Miami, Florida.
He worked with numerous big names during his decades-long career, including Stevie Wonder and Meat Loaf.
In addition to 70s disco and funk group Boney M, Frian also founded legendary 80s R&B band Milli Vanilli, which resulted in one of the biggest scandals in pop music after it was discovered they had been lip synching during their Grammy-award winning run.
In 2022, Farian revealed in an interview with Bild that he had a "pig heart valve" inserted in his chest because his own valve shrank with age. As a result of the surgery, Farian said that he was prescribed a similar drug to Viagra.
“My heart valve works wonderfully," he told the publication.
"Mick Jagger also received exactly the same heart valve. I have a good pig in me! And I’m very grateful for that."
Of his medication, he said: "This is a similar active ingredient to Viagra and has a nice side effect. But to be honest, I'm not thinking about sex at all at the moment. Today I enjoy a good meal and am just happy that I'm still alive."
However, Farian's condition had deteriorated after the procedure, Bild reported.
He lost a lot of weight and eventually had to use a wheelchair and a breathing equipment due to lung issues. He also had difficulty speaking.
Farian's ex-partner Ingrid "Milli" Segieth, 69, told the publication that she had visited him at his home during the New Year.
“Frank was physically very weak, but was still full of energy," Segieth said.
She added: "He was still sitting in the recording studio all day, working on new music.”
