Renowned German music producer Frank Farian has died at the age of 82, his representatives have announced.
Farian is best known for his success after founding Boney M in the 1970s where he was responsible for such hits as Daddy Cool, Rasputin and Brown Girl in the Ring.
Farian, a native of the town of Kirin in rural southwestern Germany where he was born Franz Reuther, passed away in his home in Miami.
During his career, Farian was also involved in one of the biggest scandals in the history of pop music when it was discovered that his protégés, boyband Milli Vanilli had been lip synching during their Grammy-award winning run.
In 2022, Farian revealed in an interview with Bild that he had a ‘pig heart valve’ inserted in his chest because his own valve shrank with age. As a result of the surgery, Farian said that he was prescribed a similar drug to Viagra.
Frank Farian, pictured with Boney M. singers Liz Mitchell (L) and Marcia Barret (R) in 2007, passed away aged 82
His death comes two years after he revealed he had received surgery to replace a faulty heart valve with one from a pig. Pictured: Farian with ex-girlfriend Ingrid Segieth
Farian had worked with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Meatloaf during his stellar career
‘This is a similar active ingredient to Viagra and has a nice side effect. But to be honest, I’m not thinking about sex at all at the moment. Today I enjoy a good meal and am just happy that I’m still alive,’ he said.
The procedure involves surgically replacing a faulty human valve with a tissue one such as from a pig or cow. The new valve will typically last up to 15 years.
During his career, Farian also worked with music legends such as Meat Loaf and Stevie Wonder.
‘The success was a huge surprise,’ Farian once told German news agency DPA.
‘I had always thought I wouldn’t make it. It didn’t look like it at first,’ he once told the German Press Agency.
Boney M singer Liz Mitchell was among those to pay their respects to the star producer.
‘Our work was truly blessed and so enjoyed by people around the world who had the privilege to hear it down the years,’ she said.
‘The testimonies come from the hearts of those who heard it and I am so grateful to the God of music that allowed our coming together, to create and present to the world the music of Boney M.
Farian pictured with ex-girlfriend and longtime adviser Ingrid ‘Milli’ Segieth who name would go on to provide the inspiration for Milli Vanilli, another of Farian’s projects
Farian founded the scandal-hit Milli Vanilli who caused uproar after it emerged front men Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus were lip-synching to another singer’s vocals
The duo were forced to hand back their Grammy Award amid the scandal, but Farian remained unapologetic about his deception
‘We shared and united under a star which rose above and beyond what we ever dared to expect. I say well done to the work that we did. Rest in peace Frank.’
But his success was not always without scandal. In 1988 Farian formed German R&B group Milli Vanilli by selecting Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus as the lip-syncing frontmen.
Singer John Davis was brought in to be the voice behind the band, he was not told his vocals would be used for lip-synching according to the singer.
Farian had him come to the studio late at night, keeping him separate from other artists, he said.
The veneer first began to crack when the duo met with an MTV executive who began to suspect their English language skills would not have been good enough to record the song as it had been done.
The lie began to fully unravel in 1989 when the group’s backing track jammed during a live MTV performance in Connecticut, prompting causing Pilatus to flee the stage in embarrassment.
From then suspicions only grew, while the duo also began to apply more pressure to be given more artistic control.
Eventually in 1990, Farian announced he had fired both men and revealed the extent of the deception.
Farian passed away peacefully aged 82 at his home in Miami, Florida, his representatives announced
He was one of the most successful pop producers of the 20th century and sold roughly 800 million records worldwide
Morvan and Pilatus were forced to hand back their Grammy award for Best New Artist amid a fierce backlash and the threat of several lawsuits.
But Farian remained unapologetic about the scandal.
‘It was fantastic new music, people were happy, so what’s the problem?’ he stated during an interview with the Washington Post.
Further tragedy struck in 1998, when Pilatus was found dead in his hotel room in Frankfurt, Germany of a suspected accidental drugs and alcohol overdose.
His death came the eve before he and Morvan were due to embark on a comeback tour.
In 2008, Farian split from his common-law wife and mother of his children, former swimsuit model Chinya Onyewenjo.
In a 2012 interview, Farian, then 70, confirmed that he broke up with Onyewenjo and was now dating her best friend, a woman named Angie how was 28 years old at the time.
Boney M singer Liz Mitchell paid her respects to the star producer following news of his death
Farian had recently sold a $13.6 million dollar waterfront lot in Miami Beach prior to his death
‘She was too old and bitchy for me! Now she’s with her ugly lawyer, who looks like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. And I have my new princess. After this wife swap, all I can say is: Sometimes the world is just like that fair.’
Angie was an aspiring singer in her own right who went by the name Princess Guyana.
Just this past August, Farian sold a $13.6 million dollar waterfront lot in Miami Beach having bought it for just $1.4 million in 2001.
He is estimated to have sold 800 million records worldwide and was one of the most successful pop producers of the 20th century.