Skinny Puppy Musician Dies Of Heroin Overdose

Dwayne Goettel, keyboard player for the influential Canadian rock band Skinny Puppy, has died of a heroin overdose. He was 31.

Goettel was discovered Wednesday collapsed on the floor of his family’s home in Edmonton, where he had been vacationing, his father, Rudy Goettel, said Friday.

Formed in Vancouver in 1983, Skinny Puppy was a pioneer of industrial rock, rooted in computer-generated music, and was a strong influence on such American bands as Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. Its cryptic lyrics and claustrophobic sound became a powerful force shaping alternative rock music.

Kevin Ogilvie, Skinny Puppy’s former lead singer, said in a statement he was devastated by news of Goettel’s death.