Gong Co-Founder Gilli Smyth Dead at 83

Gilli Smyth, a co-founding member of the influential psychedelic and space-rock ensemble Gong, died Monday. Her son, Orlando Allen, reported the news on Facebook, saying she'd been battling pulmonary pneumonia. She was 83.Smyth is credited with helping pioneer Gong's unusual, atonal approach to vocals, which they described in the liner notes to their albums as "spacewhisper," or as her website describes the singing style, "musical landscaping." She developed this with another singer, Zizka Baum,