Romanthony, House Producer & 'One More Time' Singer, Reported Dead

Romanthony, an influential house producer and singer best known for performing the vocals on Daft Punk's single "One More Time," has been reported to have died earlier this month.

The artist, born Anthony Moore, reportedly passed away at his home in Austin, Tex. on May 7. As Chicago's 5 Magazine points out, Romanthony's sister Mellony Moore confirmed the passing in a Facebook post on May 9, and friend/collaborators like Boys Noize, MikeQ and Daone Remmidy (better known as Eve Angel) have all taken to social media to confirm the news and express their grief. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

After his production career began in New Jersey, Romanthony's high-energy "Jersey Garage" style was highlighted on singles like "Make This Love Right" and "Let Me Show You Love," released on his own Black Male Records label in the early 90s. Later, Azuli Records made him an overseas star with the 1997 release of "Romanworld," a collection of stellar Black Male productions. Two years later, Glasgow Underground released "Instinctual," a collaborative full-length with DJ Predator.

However, Romanthony was best known to U.S. audiences as the voice behind "One More Time," the lead single from Daft Punk's second studio album, 2001's "Discovery." His vocals are also featured on that album's closing track, "Too Long," and Moore is listed as a co-writer on both collaborative songs, along with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.

"We met him at the 1996 Winter Music Conference and became friends," de Homem-Christo said of Romanthony in a 2001 interview. "What's odd is that Romanthony and Todd Edwards [who is featured on the "Discovery" track "Face To Face"] are not big in the United States at all. Their music had a big effect on us. The sound of their productions — the compression, the sound of the kick drum and Romanthony's voice, the emotion and soul — is part of how we sound today. Because they mean something to us, it was much more important for us to work with them than with other big stars."

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