Robert Moog: Moog Synthesizer Inventor Dies at 71

Robert Moog was an American engineer who invented the Moog synthesizer. Born on May 23, 1934, in New York City, he began building theremins as a teenager.

In the 1960s he developed a voltage-controlled modular synthesizer that musicians could play with a keyboard. Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach (1968) brought the instrument to a wide audience, and bands from the Beatles to Emerson, Lake and Palmer used it. The Minimoog (1970) became a standard.

Moog was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in April 2005. He died at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 21, 2005, at age 71. He won a Grammy Trustees Award in 2002.

Achievements: Grammy Trustees Award (2002), Polar Music Prize (2001).

Birth: May 23, 1934 - New York City.

Profession: Engineer and inventor.

Interesting Facts: He pronounced his name to rhyme with vogue.