German DJ, known for 2003 hit Loneliness, dies at 49

German DJ and producer Thomas Brückner, better known as Tomcraft, who was behind the massive 2003 club hit Loneliness, has died at the age of 49.

Tributes have been paid in the dance-music world, with Judge Jules – who championed Loneliness on its release – writing he was a “lovely guy, who made one of the greatest records ever”.

A message from Brückner’s family posted on social media, on Tuesday, said: “With a heavy heart, we need to inform you that yesterday, 15 July 2024, our beloved father and husband has passed away.

“We will forever carry you in our hearts and love you until we’re reunited again.”

Brückner made his name in the late 1990s and early 2000s with club hits such as The Circle, Prosac and Silence.

Loneliness gave him commercial success, reaching number eight in the UK in 2002 before going to number one the following year.

Brückner wrote the track, with studio partner Eniac, as an instrumental but decided something was missing.

So he added lyrics and a melody borrowed from Andrea Martin’s 1999 R&B single Share the Love, which he had found in a Munich charity shop, and had the words re-recorded by a British vocalist called Vivian.

“The lyrics say that happiness seems to be loneliness and loneliness killed my world,” Brückner was quoted as saying in Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh’s book 1,000 Number One Hits.

“It doesn’t really make much sense to me either – but I prefer it because of that.

“I like the idea that it is a bit crazy – it’s just that kind of record.”

The first time he had played the track in a club, the response had been “unbelievable”, Brückner said.

“People were screaming and acting really crazy,” he added.

That encouraged Brückner to press 50 white-label 12in copies and give them to DJs at Berlin’s Love Parade festival.

And one made its way into the hands of Judge Jules, who was said to have played it for 13 consecutive weeks on his BBC Radio 1 show.

Will Young used the same lyrics in his 2015 single Love Revolution.

More recently, Loneliness soundtracked a party scene in the film Saltburn.

And in 2023, Dutch EDM star Hardwell remixed the track alongside DJs From Mars.