From angelic schoolboy to 'twisted firestarter': How The Prodigy's Keith Flint became the face of British rave music - before being banned by the BBC for his violent lyrics
- Photos show as a smart schoolboy, but he said he had an unhappy childhood
- He trekked around Africa before getting into acid house on his return to Essex
- Flint started as dancer for Prodigy before becoming the singer and frontman
- Band found fame following a series of controversies over lyrics and videos
Keith Flint grew up from an angelic looking schoolboy to the mohawk-sporting raver who changed the face of British music.
With their graphic lyrics, ear-shattering sound and shocking videos, The Prodigy took the music world by storm when they burst onto the scene in the early 1990s.
Their fame among young fans was aided by a series of controversies around their music, which teenagers loved to blare out in their bedrooms and crank up at house parties.
Their 1997 hit Smack My B**** Up was banned by the BBC and only a lyric-free version was played on Radio 1.
The video, which showed a reveller's-eye view of a debauched night of sex, drugs and violence was initially restricted to late-night only on MTV.
Flint is pictured as a schoolboy before he met bandmate Liam Howlett in a nightclub and formed the band The Prodigy
Flint's style led to the BBC's Top of the Pops show being sent letters by angry parents, who claimed their children were scared
Smack My B**** Up was voted the most controversial song of all time in a poll conducted by the Performing Right Society (PRS) in 2010.
Firestarter also got a mixed reception, with outraged parents bombarding Top Of The Pops with letters, complaining that Flint was 'scaring' their children.
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Keith Charles Flint was born on September 17 1969 in Redbridge, East London.
Photos of his childhood show him with a neat side-parting for a school photo and smiling in a sun hat as he sets off of a hike as a young teenager.
But said in an interview he had an unhappy childhood and hated being at home. He said he was 'on the spectrum somewhere' and had 'a dysfunctional side', despite having a high IQ.
Rave king went out with Gail Porter before wife saved him 'from life of drugs'
Flint with Gail Porter in 1999
Keith Flint credited his DJ wife Mayumi with saving him from a life of "drugs and sh***ing around".
The couple married in 2006 at a star-studded ceremony with guests reportedly including Liam Gallagher, Natalie Appleton and David Gest.
In an interview with The Times three years later, he said: 'We were touring and she just walked into this room we were in, and you know how it is, I just couldn't talk, I was overwhelmed.
'I'd done my share of drugs and sh***ing around.
'Look, we all like to get busy, but in truth I was a bit worn through with it.'
Before meeting Mayumo, Flint had a year-long relationship with model Gail Porter in 1999.
The couple were dubbed 'Beauty and the Beast' though Gail later insisted he was very different from his public image, describing him as 'lovely and gentle'.
Things changed after he moved to Braintree, Essex, and met The Prodigy co-founder Liam Howlett at a nightclub.
They discussed music and realised they shared a taste for harder, club-ready sounds.
In the late 1980s he trekked around Middle East and Africa, but returned to Essex and immersed himself in the acid house scene.
Originally a dancer for The Prodigy, Flint was promoted to singer after he provided the vocals on the band's song Firestarter, a track which propelled them to the mainstream.
When the band released the video for the 1996 single, Flint's performance was deemed too scary for children - meaning many music TV stations wouldn't play it until after 9pm.
Alongside band-mates Howlett and Maxim, Flint - known for his energetic and deranged performance style, shocking green hair and tattoos - became the face of British rave.
While the group were spoken of as bedfellows with other commercial dance acts like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, they pioneered a harsher, more abrasive sound.
They reached number one in the singles charts with tracks Firestarter and Breathe in 1996, and went on to score seven number one albums.
But these songs were not usual dance pop fodder, instead drawing from sonic sounds inspired by the UK's illegal rave scene.
Known for their overt anti-establishment stance as much for their music, The Prodigy were vocal critics of the UK's Criminal Justice And Public Order Act 1994, which banned the raves popularised following the so-called second summer of love in 1988 and 1989.
And despite being accepted by the mainstream, they never submitted to the whims of passing musical fashion.
The Prodigy, pictured left in 1997, grew out of the underground rave scene. Flint carried his inimitable style into later life
The Prodigy were one of the most famous acts to emerge from the 1990s underground rave scene and go mainstream
The Essex band has never wholly belonged to any genre. Whether it was the emergent rave scene at the start of the nineties, Britpop later in the decade through to more recent dubstep and EDM - they were lurking, all the time selling millions of records and just as many tickets for their incendiary live shows.
In 2014 Flint bought and renovated The Leather Bottle pub in the Essex village of Pleshey.
He reportedly had a jar that customers had to put a pound into every time they made a 'firestarter' joke when he lit the pub's fire.
Robert Reilly, 28, who took the pub over from Keith in April 2017, said: 'Keith invested a lot of money in the pub and we've made a few changes since he left - we kept the wallpaper in the ladies' toilets - £150 a roll!
'He was well-known in the area and everyone knew him. I don't know why he gave it up but he came back once last year. It's a sad loss.'
The Prodigy released their seventh consecutive number one album in November 2018.
All but one of their studio albums hit the top spot in the UK charts, as well as a singles collection released in 2005.
This placed them alongside musical heroes including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Coldplay and George Michael, each with seven number one records.
It emerged today that The Prodigy were booked to play at the Glastonbury festival this summer, it emerged today.
Shortly after the singer's tragic death was announced, Glastonbury's co-founder Emily Eavis went on Twitter to pay tribute.
She wrote: 'He's played here so many times with the Prodigy and was booked for 2019. What an incredible frontman.'
The group reached the height of their fame in 1996, when hits Breathe and Firestarter reached the top of the charts
As well as being famous for his music, fast-living Flint also raced bikes as a speedway racer. He is pictured racing in 2013
Music pays tribute to rave king: Chemical Brothers, Kasabian and Rita Ora among stars remembering Flint
The Chemical Brothers, Kasabian and Emily Eavis are among those paying tribute to The Prodigy's Keith Flint following his death at 49.
The band's frontman was found dead at his home in Essex on Monday morning.
Ed Simons of The Chemical Brothers, who rose to fame in the 1990s along with The Prodigy in the emerging rave and electronic music scene, led the tributes with a memory of Flint on Instagram.
Along with a picture of himself and bandmate Tom Rowlands on stage with Flint, Simons wrote: 'Such sad news about Keith Flint. This is him unexpectedly joining us on stage in 1995.
'He managed to kick the power out but no one minded he was Keith from the Prodigy and he could do whatever he liked.
'He was a lovely generous man, full of spirit. RIP.'
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A post from The Chemical Brothers' official Twitter account said: 'so sad to hear about Keith Flint, we played many gigs with the prodigy over the years and they were always friendly and supportive.
'he was an amazing front man, a true original and he will be missed.tom&ed x'
Rock group Kasabian tweeted: 'Keith Flint, beautiful man, incredible pioneer.'
Referring to their 2006 album Empire, they added: 'Remembering the special times we had together making Empire. Heartbroken. Rest in Peace Brother.'
Glastonbury co-founder Eavis wrote that The Prodigy were the first dance act to play the music festival more than 20 years ago as she shared a message on Twitter.
She wrote that she was 'so saddened' to hear of his death, and added: 'He's played here so many times with the Prodigy and was booked for 2019. What an incredible frontman.'
Along with a clip of their landmark set, she said it was a 'huge, unforgettable moment'.
BBC Radio 1 presenter Nick Grimshaw recalled a 'life-changing moment' in his youth when seeing The Prodigy as his first gig.
He wrote on Instagram: 'Such a big part of my formative teenage years, posters on my wall, learning the lyrics on the bus home from school and torturing my parents with Fat Of The Land. They don't make em like that anymore.'
'So very sad': Rita simply posted a colourful snap of Flint along with the words, 'RIP Keith Flint', while Matt Willis of Busted posted a screenshot from his phone, listening to the track Firestarter, along with the caption, 'Hero!!! Devastating news!'
Friends: Jodie Marsh took to Instagram to upload a shot of the iconic performer, revealing that they were friends who bonded over their fondness of animals
Rapper Dizzee Rascal shared a grab from The Prodigy's music video Firestarter, and wrote: 'I remember when this video came out and I thought f*** this guy is a lunatic!
'Then I opened up for the @theprodigyofficial in 2009 at Wembley and he was was one of the nicest people I've met and always was every time I met him, the whole band were.
'When it comes to the stage few people can carry a show like him I'm proud to say I've seen it for myself. Iconic and a gentleman Rest in peace @keithflintofficial.'
Radio 1's Annie Mac said that 'UK music has lost a hero' in a heartfelt Twitter post, in which she added: 'My heart goes out to The Prodigy and to Keith's loved ones.'
Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown tweeted: 'R.I.P KEITH FLINT, a beautiful human.'
Author Matt Haig wrote: 'When I was a raver and my mates were indie rock kids the Prodigy were the one thing we all liked. Keith Flint himself seemed like the exact point where the mosh-pit met the glow sticks. Where fury met ecstasy.'
A post on South West Four festival's Twitter page said: 'After the loss of Keith Flint, a legend of our scene, we'd like to send our condolences to his friends, family & fans.
'We're processing the passing of one of the most important & iconic figures of the scene & we'll be providing an update as soon as we can. RIP Keith Flint.'
The Prodigy are scheduled to perform at the London-based music festival as headliners on August 25.
Music stars including Rita Ora and Plan B were among others sharing their sadness over Flint's death.
His Prodigy bandmate Liam Howlett claimed in a post on the band's official Instagram that 'our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend'.
He said: 'I'm shell shocked, f****** angry, confused and heart broken ... r.i.p brother Liam.'
