Synthesiser pioneer Dr Robert Moog has died at his North Carolina home four months after being diagnosed with brain cancer - he was 71.
Born in New York, Moog created his first electronic instrument, the theremin, when he was just 14. He continued to develop other electronic instruments, coming to public attention in 1968 via Wendy Carlo's album 'Switched-On Back', which featured Moog playing Back compositions on an analogue synthesizer.
After building the MiniMoog, a compact, easy-to-use synthesizer, in 1970, an ever increasing number of artists started to use Moog's instruments in their music, including the Doors, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Even as newer digital technology superseded Moog's creations some artists continued to use his analogue synthesisers, including Brian Eno, Frank Zappa, The Cure, Fatboy Slim and Stereolab.
In 2004 a Moogfest was organised in New York to celebrate Moog's contribution to modern music. The organiser of that event, Charles Carlini, paid tribute to Moog yesterday, saying: "He brought electronic music to the masses and changed the way we hear music."