Synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog died of brain cancer in his North Carolina home at age 71. Moog's work on electronic music synthesizers revolutionized progressive music in the 1960s and 1970s. Emerson, Lake and Palmer was among the first rock bands to make full use of his compact electronic synthesizer. Moog was not a musician but worked closely with them in developing and improving his products.
Moog constructed his first
theramin at age 14. A theramin is a musical device played by movement and proximity of the players hands to a sensor, often heard in science fiction and horror films. It was invented by Russian physicist Leon Theramin in 1919 when working on development of proximity sensors. Robert Moog credits his experience building theramins as inspiring his work with synthesizers. Moog company is the leading supplier of theramins.