Venom singer and bassist Conrad 'Cronos' Lant dies at 63

Conrad "Cronos" Lant, the bassist and lead singer of Venom, has died at the age of 63. His bandmates announced the death on social media on Thursday, 1 October 2026. No cause of death was provided in the announcement, Rolling Stone reported.

The news was shared in a statement from Venom and Lant's son, according to Loudwire. Lant died on 1 October 2026, Decibel reported. He was born in 1963.

Venom are a heavy metal band from Newcastle in the United Kingdom, The Guardian reported. The group formed in 1979. Lant joined as rhythm guitarist before changing roles.

He moved to bass and took over lead vocals after singer Clive Archer left in 1980. That line-up became the one most listeners associate with the band's early records. Lant held both posts from then on.

Venom released its debut album, Welcome to Hell, in 1981. It followed with Black Metal in 1982. The two records gave the band a wide audience among metal listeners and gave a name to a subgenre that developed afterwards.

The band first broke up in 1988. Lant then reformed Venom with various line-ups and continued to perform under the name until his death. He remained the group's frontman and central figure through those later years.

Outside Venom, Lant led his own band, Cronus. He also worked with Warfare and Cradle of Filth, and with Probot, the metal side project led by Dave Grohl. Those collaborations placed him alongside younger musicians who had grown up listening to his earlier work.

Further details have not been released. The announcement did not include information on funeral arrangements or survivors.