Brent Grulke, creative director and driving force behind the South by Southwest music festival, has died. He was 52.

Grulke had worked for the festival since its founding in 1987. In 1994 he became the creative director, overseeing the booking of acts for the music festival.

“A lot of Brent’s personality was in SXSW,” SXSW director and co-founder Roland Swenson said Monday. “He was adventurous and knowledgeable and excited about creative people and endeavors. He didn’t like the usual and mundane. He was open-minded enough to know that his taste wasn’t always the most important thing, so he was open to new things.” [Peter Mongillo]

UPDATE: Brent reportedly passed away due to cardiac arrest following oral surgery.