Live sound and Talk Box pioneer Bob Heil has died, aged 83: “I can never thank him enough,” says Peter Frampton

Bob Heil.

Audio pioneer Bob Heil, who released his classic Talk Box in 1973 and set the blueprint for live sound systems in rock music, has died at the age of 83.

Born in St Louis, Illinois, Heil honed his musical talents as a theatre organist, becoming something of an expert in pipe organ technology. Simultaneously, he was exploring his interest in amateur radio.