Photo Credit: Low Roar / Instagram
Icelandic alternative rock band Low Roar has confirmed frontman Ryan Karazija has died suddenly. He was 40.
The band posted a tribute to its frontman on social media. “His beautiful music and lyrics, sung in his haunting voice have touched the lives of so many people all over the world and will continue to do so. He was a kind and beautiful soul and our worlds are shattered by the loss of him. May we honor his memory through his art and hold him forever in his songs.”
“The sixth Low Roar record was already underway and will be completed and released when it is ready. Please respect his family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time,” the statement concludes. Shortly after that initial statement, the post was updated to include a cause of death.
“After a short illness, Ryan Karajiza, frontman and driving force behind Low Roar, has died at age 40 due to complications from pneumonia,” the amended statement says. Following news of the singer’s death, tributes from fans across the world poured in. Music from Low Roar featured heavily in the 2020 hit game Death Stranding.
The game’s director Hideo Kojima, released a heartfelt message to Karajiza. “I heard the news and I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it. Without Ryan, without you and your music, Death Stranding would not have been born. Your music will live forever in this world and in me. Thank you. Rest in peace,” he added.
Many people shared how they had discovered a love for Low Roar’s music through its feature in the soundtrack of Death Stranding. The band released its first album in 2011, and the fifth and most recent album was released in 2021. When Low Roar agreed to have their music featured in Death Stranding–they didn’t know it at the time.
“Sony contacted us in an obscure email offering us a certain amount of money to use the song “I’ll Keep Coming,” they told VG247 in 2020. “They were not willing to tell us what they were going to use the song fro. At that time, we were in the gutter, so we accepted it. And it turned out it was for Death Stranding.”