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The death of Malte Pittner has deeply affected the German music scene. The musician, who became known as the co-founder of Deichkind and later celebrated international success as the guitarist of the country band Texas Lightning, has died after a long illness.
Deichkind announced the news on Monday, December 15th via Instagram. In the post, the Hamburg hip-hop group said goodbye to their former band member, expressed their condolences to the family and closest friends and at the same time asked for respect for their privacy. “He was a brilliant musician, entertainer and an incredibly talented songwriter and lyricist – not just for Deichkind,” says Deichkind.
Music scene says goodbye
The focus of the public mourning is the farewell post by the band itself. The post quickly received numerous comments from the music and cultural scene. Music producer Mousse T. and Marti Fischer, who became known with Bodo Wartke through the TikTok hit “Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar,” also expressed their condolences.
Author and influencer Ben Bernschneider said goodbye with the words “Bon Voyage, Malte” and black hearts. DJ Martin Welzer also paid tribute to Pittner in his own Instagram post with photos from 2000 in the studio during the recording of “Arschbombe”. “…and now Malte too,” wrote the 55-year-old. And further: “My condolences to the family and friends.”
The band shares personal words about founding member Pittner:
Here is the mourning contribution from DJ Martin Welzer:
Personal words from companions
Rapper Malonda also shared the band’s farewell post on her Instagram story and expressed her condolences. She wrote candidly: “He was so much my crush. RIP.” Mitra Kassai, founder of “Oll inklusiv”, and Stefanie Tagawa from the podcast “Klug & Lästerlich” also spread the farewell greeting. Lars alias Protein Panda and presenter Ruth Moschner also spoke up on the platform with expressions of condolence.
Jane Comerford, Pittner’s colleague at Texas Lightning, was particularly close and remembered him in her own post and in an official statement: “I am incredibly sad. Rest in peace dear friend.”
From Deichkind to Texas Lightning
Malte Pittner was one of the founding members of Deichkind in 1997 and remained part of the band until 2005. During this time he played a key role in shaping the group’s early sound and worked on the first two albums “Please pull through” and “Noch 5 Minutes Mutti”. He was also involved in the third album from 2006, including the party anthem “Remmidemmi (Yippie Yippie Yeah)”, which is still known today. In recent years, Pittner has withdrawn from the public eye.