Grammy-nominated Scottish DJ, producer and recording artist Sophie who worked with names like Madonna and Charli XCX, died after an accident in the Greek capital, Athens. She was 34 years old.
In a statement, British record label Transgressive said the singer, whose full name was Sophie Xeon, died early on Saturday.
“Tragically, our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident,” said the statement. “True to her spirituality, she climbed to see the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell.”
A police spokesman in Athens confirmed that Sophie slipped and fell off the balcony of an apartment where she was staying and there was no suspicion of a crime in her death. The investigation, he said, is still ongoing.
Tributes have come, mainly from the LGBT community. Sophie, who was transgender and widely regarded as one of the most pioneering artists in the music industry.
French singer, songwriter and music producer Christine and the Queens said Sophie was a stellar and visionary producer who rebelled against the narrow normative society for being an absolute triumph, both as an artist and as a woman.
English singer Sam Smith said the world has lost an angel, a true visionary and icon of our generation.
Discussing gender identity in an interview with Paper magazine in 2018, Sophie said: “ Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit, so that the two don’t fight each other and fight to survive ”
“ On this Earth, it is that you can get closer to how you feel what your true essence is, without the social pressures of having to fulfill certain traditional gender-based roles, ” she said.
Sophie, who was born in Glasgow, started releasing music in 2013 and was best known early in her career for being one of the writers for Madonna’s single in 2015, “ Bitch I’m Madonna ”.
She used her own image and voice for the first time for the October 2017 single “ It’s Okay To Cry. The recording paved the way for Sophie’s debut album, “ Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. ”
Released in June 2018, it received a Grammy nomination for best dance / electronic album.