ALAN VEGA of the influential band Suicide died in his sleep July 16. The singer was 78 years old.

    Henry Rollins broke the news on his website with a statement from the Vega family.

    Vega formed Suicide, the trailblazing electronic duo, with multi-instrumentalist Martin Rev in 1970. The two built a loyal following among the New York City punk scene of the early and mid-1970s, counting such acts as the New York Dolls and Iggy Pop and the Stooges as contemporaries and friends.

    The band’s 1977 self-titled debut is widely considered one of the seminal albums of electronic music, released during what was only a nascent scene at the time.

    Hailed by such writers as Lester Bangs and, later, Nick Hornby, the album’s place in punk rock history was cemented early on, as Suicide was among the earliest users of synthesizers and drum machines, ushering in a new sound that would evolve and endure for decades.

    Indeed, even as recently as 2010, M.I.A. sampled the song “Ghost Rider” from Suicide’s first album in her single, “Born Free.”

    Suicide was among the headliners announced for California’s Desert Daze Festival, taking place Oct. 14-16 in Joshua Tree. They shared the bill with such acts as Television, Primus and Washed Out.

    The festival posted the following message on its Facebook page: “We are shocked and heartbroken by the passing of the great Alan Vega: a man who inspired so many of us, an innovator and pioneer, one of the warriors who taught us to never compromise, a boundary breaking ghost rider of the unknown who paved the way for so many of us. It goes without saying that we were excited and honored to host Suicide at this year’s festival.”

    (SD-Agencies)