Frank Farian Dies: Founder Of Milli Vanilli & Boney M. Was 82

German record producer and singer/songwriter Frank Farian, who founded Milli Vanilli and the disco-pop group Boney M., has died. He was 82. 

His family released a statement confirming he died “peacefully” at his home in Miami, Florida.

Farian was the brains behind the pop duo Milli Vanilli, who was best known for their songs “Blame It On The Rain” and “Girl You Know It’s True.” He later admitted to the lip-syncing scandal that led to the revocation of the duo’s 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist. It also led to multiple lawsuits in the U.S.

The Germany-born producer started his career off as a singer by forming a band called Frankie Boys Schatten. He then branched out as a solo artist before joining vocalists Liz Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, front man Bobby Farrell and dancer Maizie Williams in 1976 to create Boney M. The group was big in Europe with songs like “Daddy Cool, “Rivers of Babylon and “Rasputin.”

Farian also worked with Meat Loaf and Stevie Wonder.

In 2022, Farian told a German newspaper that he underwent life-saving heart valve replacement surgery.