Nitzer Ebb Frontman Douglas McCarthy Dies at 58 After Liver Cirrhosis Forces End to Touring

Douglas McCarthy, co-founding vocalist of the English industrial dance band Nitzer Ebb, has died. He was 58. The band shared an Instagram statement announcing that he had died on Wednesday, June 11.

“It is with a heavy heart that we regret to inform that Douglas McCarthy passed away this morning of June 11th, 2025,” it read. “We ask everyone to please be respectful of Douglas, his wife, and family in this difficult time.”

The statement concluded: “We appreciate your understanding and will share more information soon.”

No cause of death was revealed; however, in March 2024, McCarthy stepped away from a European Nitzer Ebb tour and shared he had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis “following years of alcohol abuse” in a statement on Instagram.

“For over two years I have not been drinking, but recovery is a long process,” he wrote at the time.

McCarthy, who was born London in 1966, met his future bandmate, drummer David Gooday, at 10 years old. In 1982, they formed Nitzer Ebb with friends Bon Harris and Simon Granger and had their first show at a YMCA.

At the beginning of their career, they were heavily influenced by the post-punk genre but they later took on more industrial and electronic influences. Eventually, Nitzer Ebb were heralded as prominent figures in the “electronic body music” scene.

The band signed to Mute Records in the U.K. and Geffen in the U.S. and released their first album That Total Age in 1987. While they didn’t score a chart hit, their single “Join the Chant” landed the No. 9 on Billboard Dance Club Songs.

After its release, they went on tour with labelmates Depeche Mode for their Music for the Masses European tour. Throughout their career, songs like 1989’s “Control I’m Here,” and 1990’s “Lightning Man” and “Fun to Be Had,” as well as 1991’s “Family Man,” charted.

Following the release of their fifth album Big Hit in 1995, Nitzer Ebb split.

McCarthy relocated to Los Angeles and Detroit, before heading back to the U.K. where he studied design and film in Cambridge. Later, he returned to music, working with techno producer Terence Fixmer.

In 2007, Nitzer Ebb reunited. They released their sixth and final LP Industrial Complex in 2010 and continued to tour. Two years later, McCarthy shared a solo album, Kill Your Friends.

VIA

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