BBC News - Don Van Vliet, aka 'Captain Beefheart', dies aged 69

Beefheart's distinctive growl fronted an influential avant-garde rock band
American musician and painter Don Van Vliet, best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart, has died aged 69.

Van Vliet's death in California, from complications from multiple sclerosis, was announced by the Michael Werner Gallery in New York.