Goblin's Massimo Morante Has Died

As originally published by Alex Hudson on Exclaim!

Massimo Morante, guitarist and co-founder of Italian prog legends Goblin, has died. He was 70.

No cause of death has been made public as of this writing. The band wrote on Facebook, "With extreme pain and disbelief we are forced to announce that Massimo Morante, founder and irreplaceable guitarist of the Goblin, has left us today. Goblin announce with a heavy heart and in total disbelief the passing of founder and guitar master Massimo Morante." (The message was written in Italian and has been translated.)

Goblin originally formed in 1972, performing under the names Oliver and Cherry Five before rechristening themselves Goblin in the mid-'70s. They became well known for their film scores, collaborating with director Dario Argento and writing the music for his films Profondo Rosso (1975) and Suspiria (1977), among others. They scored the international cut of George A. Romero's (Dawn of the Dead).

The band parted ways in 1982, eventually reuniting at various points in the new millennium. Various incarnations of the band performed in recent years under names like Back to the Goblin, New Goblin, Goblin Rebirth, the Goblin Keys and Claudio Simonetti's Goblin. There were also performances simply as Goblin.