German electro-pop pioneer Klaus Dinger has died of heart failure. He was 61. The former Kraftwerk and Neu! drummer passed away on March 21, a spokesperson for Neu!'s label Gronland announced on Wednesday. Dinger was a member of Kraftwerk in the early 1970s; he and guitarist Michael Rother left the group to form another influential band, Neu!

Neu! recorded three albums before splitting up in the mid-1970s. Dinger and Rother reunited in the studio in the mid-1980s for a fourth Neu! album, which was released a decade later in 1995.

Dinger formed La Dusseldorf, who had hits with "Silver Cloud" and "Rheinita," following his initial tenure with Neu!

In a statement paying tribute to his musical colleague, Rother says: "Together with many friends of his music I will remember Klaus for his creativity as an artist and I will think about him with gratitude for his wonderful contributions to our project Neu!"

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)