Casey Chaos dies aged 59 as record label pays tribute to 'tortured soul' punk rocker

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Punk rock star Casey Chaos has died at the age of 59.Brian Perera, founder of Cleopatra Records, confirmed the news of the lead singer of band Amen's death.In a statement released to the public, he said: "With heartfelt sadness, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Casey Chaos." Brain said that "Casey wasn’t just an extraordinary musician - he truly lived and breathed the lifestyle."His statement continued: "May he rest in peace alongside Rozz Williams and the many tortured souls we admire and respect." Chaos had taken to the stage with bands including Christian Death and Scum.

He was born on October 9, 1965 in Trenton, New York. The musician was raised in Melbourne, Florida.Chaos, whose real name was Karim Chmielnski, was a skateboarder when he was younger and went on tour at the age of 10.

Duane Peters introduced him to the band Black Flag in 1982, which lead to Chaos exploring a career in music. He initially started off with Casey and the Skate Punx.The band, which also consisted of guitarist Ken Decter, bassist Scot Lade and drummer Bill Erwin, was subsequently renamed Disorderly Conduct.

Chaos later moved to Los Angeles and the group changed their name again to Amen. The band released four studio albums over a decade-long span, consisting of Slave (1994), Amen (1999), We Have Come for Your Parents (2000) and Death Before Musick (2004).Amen took part in NME's 2001 tour with the groups Alfie, JJ72 and Starsailor.