# Bill Rieflin dead at 59 (R.E.M., King Crimson, Ministry, and a horde of other industrial bands) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [March 25, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220 "2020-03-25T01:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/1 "2020-03-25T01:15:12Z")
> **[Bill Rieflin, Drummer for King Crimson, Ministry, R.E.M., Dies at 59](https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bill-rieflin-drummer-ministry-rem-king-crimson-dies-dead-1203544112/)** > > UPDATED: Bill Rieflin, a remarkably versatile drummer whose work over the past 30 years spanned Ministry, R.E.M., Swans, Nine Inch Nails and King Crimson, among many others, has died after a battle… We just lost Neil Peart in January, and now Bill Rieflin, also from cancer (and his wife died from lymphoma last year). Rieflin filled some VERY big shoes after Bill Berry left R.E.M., that’s for sure. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/2 "2020-03-25T01:20:35Z")
Oh man… so many good songs and bands he was a part of! RIP Mr. Rieflin; you done good. I’m gonna listen to some SWANS now. [_My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU3o7YmANGs&list=PLUcXHQ7VorrUkvNXUmZgDNMA0UutDwITa) seems appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/3 "2020-03-25T02:47:48Z")
I saw that. He was in KMFDM as well for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/4 "2020-03-25T02:50:47Z")
This sucks - RIP Bill. I mostly knew him from Ministry and related bands, and didn’t even know he’d played with people from REM to Robyn Hitchcock to King Crimson. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/5 "2020-03-25T02:53:53Z")
Aye: SWANS, KMFDM, Pigface, Ministry, R.E.M., Lard, Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson, Revolting Cocks… he was in a ton of bands that I listen to and admire. In reading his wiki, I saw that his wife Francesca Sundsten passed away last year; she was also a supremely talented artist (a painter). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/6 "2020-03-25T02:53:41Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > [Bill Rieflin, Drummer for Ministry, R.E.M., King Crimson, Dies at 59](https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bill-rieflin-drummer-ministry-rem-king-crimson-dies-dead-1203544112/) > > We just lost Neil Peart in January, and now Bill Rieflin, also from cancer (and his wife died from lymphoma last year). Rieflin filled some VERY big shoes after Bill Berry left R.E.M., that’s for sure. > > RIP. I have to admit that I’ve never heard his name, but all the bands he played for are an enormous resume! I have to catch up on the things he played on. (and by the way, the article was the first time I heard that Robert Fripp and Toyah Wlicox are married. I had no idea!) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/7 "2020-03-25T02:56:30Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye: SWANS, KMFDM, Pigface, Ministry, R.E.M., Lard, Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson, Revolting Cocks… he was in a ton of bands that I listen to and admire. Yeah, I thought the same without knowing him. I like all that bands, and they are so different! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-rieflin-dead-at-59-r-e-m-king-crimson-ministry-and-a-horde-of-other-industrial-bands/850220/8 "2020-03-25T10:51:57Z")
Sad news. He really was a big part of many of my favourite bands. Going off to listen to Pigface…