Boney M is gone,

...founder, Frank Farian dies aged 82

Frank Farian, the creator and originator of the musical band, notably known as Boney M, the rave of the 1970s is dead.

Frank Farian's family released a statement saying he had passed away in Miami, Florida.

German music producer Frank Farian - founder of the disco band Boney M - has died at the age of 82, according to his family.

They released a statement on Tuesday via Farian's agency saying he had passed away at his home in Miami.

Boney M, which formed in 1976, had a string of hit singles including Daddy Cool, Rasputin and Rivers of Babylon.

Farian also went on to found the duo Milli Vanilli, who were involved in a lip-synching controversy.

He was born Franz Reuther in 1941 in Kirn, south-western Germany, and trained as a chef while also pursuing a musical career - first as a singer and then as a producer.

He also worked with the likes of Meat Loaf and Stevie Wonder and is reported to have sold an estimated 800 million records worldwide.

In 1990, Farian was embroiled in a scandal surrounding Milli Vanilli when he confessed they had not sung on their records.

The duo - who scored a clutch of hits in the late 1980s - later had their Grammy Award for best new artist revoked.

In 2022, Farian revealed he had undergone heart surgery and had a pig heart valve inserted, which he said saved his life.