Robert Kaye, Mayhem, In Memoriam

Wed 25 February 2026 Evelynne Veys Robert, Kaye, Mayhem, MusicBrainz, MetaBrainz

With deep regrets we need to announce that the world of free and open-source software, the community of music lovers has lost a visionary, a pioneer and active member.

Robert Kaye, aka mayhem, founder, inspirator and motivator of MusicBrainz, ListenBrainz etc passed away on February 21, 2026.

MetaBrainz Blog MetaBrainz Team MusicBrainz Wiki

I probably don't know Rob as well as all the people he worked with in the past. I met him in October in Munich during the GSoC mentor summit and we clicked right away and talked for hours.

Over the past few months, we've been in close contact about a joint project between MB/LB and Mixxx, which we were very excited about. We were going to mentor several shared GSoC projects together this year. But we also talked about life, feelings, grief and music. Through the ListenBrainz releases page we talked about the latest albums of Khuangbin, Rosalia and Dream Theater.

I've come to know Rob as a very smart, humorous, straightforward person with a lot of empathy, insight, and love. Love for people, projects, and his MB baby (babies).

He's one of the few people with whom I could build a reasoning with without too much explanation. We immediately understood each other's logic and thinking and complemented each other perfectly. Discussing with him was easy if you got good arguments, otherwise it would be a huge challenge.

Even though I knew he was struggling with his health, this news came as a bolt from the blue. We still had plans for many dinners, meetings and intense conversations that we were looking forward to.

We wish everyone who cared about him strength, especially his partner. A big hug for Rob, I miss you already.

Robert talking in his own humouristic and passionate way about open-source and metadata in Lorenzo's Music Podcast, November 2025