Cult Of Youth’s Sean Ragon Dead At 45
Sean Ragon, founder and frontman for the goth- and punk-rooted psych-folk band Cult Of Youth, has died. "It is with a heavy heart that I say, Sean Ragon has left this mortal coil," reads an announcement from the band's Facebook page . "Thank you to all of you for the support over the years. Love will prevail." No cause of death has been listed. He was 45. The post Cult Of Youth’s Sean Ragon Dead…
Sean Ragon, the founder and frontman of the goth- and punk-rooted psych-folk band Cult Of Youth, passed away at the age of 45. The news broke from the band's Facebook page, which mourned the loss of the influential artist. Ragon's musical journey began in the late 90s, performing in local punk bands like Class Action and Wreckage.
He later experimented with abrasive electronic music under the alias Axiomata and played bass in the Olympia, Washington indie band Love As Laughter. However, it was Cult Of Youth that became his main musical legacy. Founded as a solo project in the late 2000s, the band evolved into a full-fledged entity in 2011 and signed to the Brooklyn punk/indie/electronic label Sacred Bones.
Their self-titled debut album garnered attention, earning Stereogum's Band To Watch honors. Known for their doom-laden, militaristic neo-folk sound, Cult Of Youth later embraced a more rock-oriented style, with Ragon declaring they were now a "psychedelic rock" band. In addition to Cult Of Youth, Ragon ran record labels Blind Prophet Records and Nexus Records, and ran the Brooklyn record store Heaven Street Records.
He also took on various side projects and collaborations, including electronic solo project Venerence and performances with Genesis P-Orridge's Psychic TV. Ragon's final album with Cult Of Youth, "With Open Arms," was released in late 2022 through New York's Hospital Productions.
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