Tim Smith, frontman of cult band the Cardiacs, dies aged 59

Tim Smith, frontman with cult British band the Cardiacs, has died aged 59.

The news was confirmed by his bandmate Kavus Torabi, who did not disclose the cause of death.

The Cardiacs posted lyrics to Smith’s song Heaven Heven on social media: “I have desired to go / Where springs not fail / To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail / And a few lilies blow.”

In 2008, Smith suffered a heart attack and stroke and underwent a long period of rehabilitation. He experienced a lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest and was diagnosed with dystonia, which causes muscles to contract uncontrollably. A fundraiser set up for his care in 2018 read: “This condition has affected Tim’s movement, his dexterity, his ability to speak, and it has added painful muscle tone and spasms that are a permanent feature of his life these days.”

In 2017, Smith described his condition: “Imagine if you were wearing a skintight bodysuit made of fishnet all around you, with electrical pulses going all the time. This is what my body feels like unless I fall asleep.”

Smith formed an early version of the Cardiacs in 1977 with his brother Jim, called the Filth, who soon changed their name to Cardiac Arrest. Their debut single, A Bus for a Bus on the Bus, was released in 1979. The band’s complex songcraft drew equally from punk and prog – often thought by many fans of each style to be mutually exclusive – and delivered surreal, theatrical performances.

Related: Cult heroes: Tim Smith led the Cardiacs in the face of hatred – and much love

They released eight studio albums between 1980 and 1999, never achieving commercial success. Their most famous song remains 1988’s Is This the Life?, which reached No 80 in the UK charts. But they were loved by prog artists including Marillion and Steven Wilson, and leading rock acts such as Biffy Clyro, Faith No More and Blur. The Cardiacs supported the latter at their Mile End Stadium concert in London in 1995.

In 1983, Smith married Sarah Cutts, who had joined the band as a multi-instrumentalist three years earlier. As well as Smith, 23 musicians have passed through the band’s ranks over the years. They toured until 2007; a final album, LSD, remains unfinished.