The Residents’ Hardy Fox Dead at 73
Hardy Fox, primary composer and producer for the Residents, has died following a battle with brain cancer. The band confirmed the news in a statement, saying he “succumbed to a brief illness” following a series of health problems. He was 73. “Blessed with a vital sense of aesthetics, a keen ear, and an exquisite love of the absurd, Hardy’s smiling face was a constant source of joy to those around him,” the Residents wrote. “He was loved immeasurably and will be missed dearly.”
After growing up in Texas, Fox moved to San Francisco in 1969. There, he helped found what would become the avant-garde art collective the Residents. The group finally settled on the moniker in 1972, releasing their first double single Santa Dog that same year. Their first full-length LP Meet the Residents, whose cover notably parodied the Beatles’ Meet the Beatles art, arrived in 1974. The Residents quickly gained a cult following, thanks to highly conceptual albums and theatrical multi-media artworks.
Anonymously, Fox served as primary composer and producer on more than 30 Residents albums before retiring from the group in 2015, though he continued composing for them through 2018. Fox also recorded as a solo artist under various names including Charles Bobuck, Combo de Mechanico, Sonido de la Noche, Chuck, TAR, and more.
