Singer Cola Boyy Dead at 34
The indie music scene is mourning the loss of an immense talent.
Cola Boyy (real name Matthew Urango) died on March 17 at his home in Oxnard, Calif. He was 34.
The performer, who was known as a fierce advocate for the disabled community, was born with spina bifida, kyphosis and scoliosis, and started wearing a prosthetic leg at 2 years old.
Cola's cause of death is still being investigated, but his family told TMZ that it was likely related to his ongoing health conditions. The 34-year-old's record label, Record Makers, said he passed "peacefully."
"He was quite a soul, a man with no age, a childlike spirit with the musicality of an old legend," the label shared on X March 18. "His lyrics, his melodies, the sound of his voice: every side of his music was unique and timeless."
As a performer, Cola considered himself a "disabled disco innovator," he told tmrw magazine.
In his hometown, which he said on several occasions highly influenced his sound, he joined political activist groups including Anarchist People of Color and Todo Poder Al Pueblo, which organized concerts and fundraisers for children in need. He also considered his own thriving music career a political statement of its own.
"Not a lot of artists are visibly disabled," he told the British publication. "Society wants us to stay inside and to be timid and docile, and to not feel confident, or cool, or sexy. In my life, that often weighed me down, but it didn't ever stop me. I've always been a very outgoing person but still not the most confident, I'm still very critical of myself."
As he added, "Politicizing this condition really helped me out with understanding why people treated me the way they did. Having this understanding of these social constructs coincided with me, my music stuff and with it starting to pick up."
He released his debut album, Prosthetic Boombox, in 2021 and also collaborated with the Avalanches and MGMT throughout his career.
Cola averaged over 80,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and was working on a sophomore project at the time of his passing, his family said. He had also opened for Chicano Batman in 2023, and had performing slots in several festivals during his career including Coachella in 2019.
Cola Boyy is survived by his parents Lisa Urango and Joseph Urango, as well as twin brother Marcus, and younger brother Noah.
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