Danielle Moore, lead singer and frontperson of the electronic outfit Crazy P, has died aged 52.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the band said that she had died in “sudden and tragic circumstances” on 30 August.
Her bandmates wrote: “We cannot believe the news ourselves and we know it will be the same for all of you. She gave us so much and we love her so much. Our hearts are broken. We need time to process that this has happened. Danielle lived a life driven by love, compassion, community and music. She lived the biggest of lives. We will miss her with all our hearts.”
Moore’s cause of death has not been shared.
Musicians including JD Twitch of Optimo, Róisín Murphy and Sister Bliss paid tribute to Moore. “She was just the best,” Twitch posted on X. “The definition of a beautiful human being.”
Chris Todd and Jim Baron founded the house and disco outfit Crazy P – originally known as Crazy Penis – while at university in Nottingham in the mid-90s and were signed by Manchester label Paper Recordings. Moore was part of an expansion of the group in 2002, alongside bassist Tim Davies and percussionist Mav Kendricks. They released seven studio albums and more remix albums.
Moore grew up near Manchester and started going to the Haçienda nightclub age 18. “I had my really seminal dancefloor moments there,” she told Disco Pogo last year. “I could dance how I wanted and feel so myself.”
That spirit continued into her role as frontwoman of Crazy P, in which Moore became known for her expressive singing and showmanship. “Performing is everything,” she is quoted as saying in her live agency bio. “When I’m performing, I feel like I’ve stepped into my alter ego and am able to take on any mood. It’s very empowering to become detached from my own slightly vulnerable self.”
Based in Manchester and later Todmorden, West Yorkshire, Moore said that supporting Faithless in 2005/6 had changed everything for the group, and that their last album, 2019’s Age of the Ego, was “probably the most proud I am of an album, lyrically speaking”. She wrote increasingly political lyrics for the record, railing against the worship of high-profile politicians and celebrities, and advocating for grassroots, community work, investment in the public sector and taxing billionaires and “people who have ravaged this country”.
Moore also worked as an in-demand solo DJ. Last year, she told Disco Pogo: “I sometimes find myself up against the idea that I’m not ‘steady’ or ‘settled’. I’ve experienced more than a few raised eyebrows. But I know I’m so lucky with my life. Would I swap those travels and memories and music for anything? Would I fuck!”