Tomcraft, the German DJ and producer born Thomas Brückner whose 2002 single “Loneliness” became an international club staple, died Monday (July 17), his family announced on social media. “We will forever carry you in our hearts and love you until we’re reunited again,” the family said. No cause of death was given. Brückner was 49 years old.
Brückner began DJing in his native Munich in the early 1990s, eventually gaining recognition as a producer for club-ready singles including “Viva” and “Prosac,” made with collaborator Eniac. In the early 2000s, a commercial upswing for trance and progressive house led to a successful reissue of “Prosac,” as well as originals such as “Silence” that charted in Germany.
International success followed when “Loneliness,” first released in 2002, became ubiquitous upon its 2003 reissue, topping the singles chart in the United Kingdom and finding an enduring home on European dancefloors, both in its original form and via remixes by Benny Benassi and, in 2023, Hardwell and DJs From Mars. Through the mid-2010s, he continued to release singles, remixes, and collaborations with artists including Sonique and Sister Bliss, some on his own label, Craft Music. After an intermission of several years, a return to regular output was under way with a string of one-off singles for labels such as Magik Muzik.
The British club and radio DJ Judge Jules, a driver of the British dominance of “Loneliness,” wrote on X that Brückner was a “lovely guy who made one of the greatest records ever.”
