Jannis Noya Makrigiannis, the frontman and founder of Choir of Young Believers, died at the age of 39, the band's label confirmed.
Choir of Young Believers' handler Ghostly International shared a press release confirming Makrigiannis' death. It revealed that the musician passed away before New Year's eve.
"We heard Choir Of Young Believers in 2008 and quickly fell in love, re-releasing the debut album, 'This Is for the White in Your Eyes', the following year after their performance at the 2009 SXSW festival," the statement continued. "We enjoyed a fluid working relationship and experienced many memorable shows and tours together."
Ghostly International shared Jannis Noya Makrigiannis' cause of death, saying he died following a brief illness. It did not disclose further details about it, including the exact disease he suffered from.
The label also shared a link to the blog alongside a black-and-white photo of the guitarist, who it called "a gentle, kind soul."
Following his sudden death, fans and groups expressed their heartbreaks online and remembered the guitarist's performances in the past years.
We're deeply saddened to hear of the death of Choir of Young Believers' Jannis Noya Makrigiannis at age 39, following an illness. In 2010, Jannis and his band visited Studio A for a session, which included this performance of "Hollow Talk." https://t.co/KI1fUfIEll @ghostly pic.twitter.com/7cKrl5G75F
— WFUV Radio (@wfuv) January 5, 2023
Remembering Jannis Noya Makrigiannis
Makrigiannis started his career in the music scene by working with other bands, including Lake Placid. He eventually moved to the Greek island of Samos, where he created the project, Choir of Young Believers.
When Makrigiannis returned to Copenhagen in 2008, he introduced the project's debut album, "This Is For The White In Your Eyes," through Tigerspring. It reached more listeners when Ghostly distributed it the following year.
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The Choir of Young Believers found more success when it released "Hollow Talk."
"Music is the only thing I've thought about since I was 12 years old," he told Soundvenue in 2016. "It's the wildest space to be in. A place where you can be free."
In 2009, the project entered the US music scene following its SXSW performance. The project released two more albums in 2012 and 2016: "Rhine Gold" and "Grasque."
Before his death, he was still able to bring the project back to life and release its what-would-be final music, "Holy Smoke."
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