The Cause of Amen Frontman Casey Chaos’s Death Has Been Disclosed

The Cause of Death of Casey Chaos

The cause of death of Amen frontman Casey Chaos was revealed by one of the singer’s close friends.

The news of his death at the age of 59 was announced on December 21 by Brian Perera, founder of Cleopatra Records. “Casey was not just an extraordinary musician—he truly lived and breathed the lifestyle,” Perera wrote. “May he rest in peace with Rozz Williams and the many tortured souls we admire and respect.”

Confirmed Details Surrounding His Passing

Now Dean Carr, a photographer and video director who was close to Chaos (real name Karim Chmielinski), has confirmed that he died of a massive heart attack at his home in Laurel Canyon near Los Angeles.

“He was thrilled that his mother was coming from Melbourne, Florida, to spend Christmas with him and sent a limousine to pick her up from LAX,” Carr wrote. “The mother arrived at 10:45 p.m. and, having received no answer to the knock on the door, went inside with a spare key. Opening the door, she found Casey sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the sofa and throwing his head back. He had a massive heart attack.”

“Casey has suffered from heart problems, poor circulation and high blood pressure for the past few years,” he added. “Despite this, we have lost a great man/musician/friend/son.”

Carr also confirmed that Chaos was cremated in a Dec. 23 ceremony in North Hollywood, California, adding that memorial services would be announced at a later date.

“Casey Chaos is survived by his mother, Tambil Chmielinski, and her dog, Momo,” Carr concluded.

A Brief Musical Journey

Born in 1965, Chaos began making his own music under the name Casey and the Skate Punx in 1982. He recruited bassist Scott Lade, drummer Bill Ervin and guitarist Ken Decter, and later changed the band’s name to Disorderly Conduct.

Chaos later moved to Los Angeles, where the group changed its name to Amen. There he became friends with Christian Death guitarist Rikk Agnew, which led to him playing on and co-writing several songs on their 1993 album Iconologia.

Amen have released four studio albums: their debut “Slave” in 1994, “Amen” in 1999, “We Have Come for Your Parents” in 2000 and “Death Before Musick” in 2004.

In 2001 they played for the seventh time. NME tour with JJ72, Alfie and Starsailor.

Throughout his career, Chaos also played in Christian Death and the black metal supergroup Scum.

In 2014, Amen returned to the studio to record a new album, but it was not completed in time, and Amen continued to perform at Knotfest in support of Slipknot. Chaos then resumed recording the album in late 2019, but it was stopped again due to the COVID pandemic. The album remained unfinished.