Overview

• Wilczynska announced Bartsch’s death on Instagram, saying he died after a serious but unspecified illness on August 27, 2025.
• Reports from music outlets state that his precise cause of death and his age have not been disclosed.
• Bartsch co-founded Bethlehem with guitarist Klaus Matton in 1991 and remained the band’s sole constant member as its founding bassist and primary songwriter.
• Regarded as pioneers of depressive suicidal black metal, Bethlehem blended black, doom and gothic elements, debuting with Dark Metal in 1994 and releasing 10 albums, most recently 2022’s The Gospel According To Alexander.
• Tributes have appeared across the metal community, with the band’s longtime label Prophecy Productions and founder Martin Koller issuing condolences.