BERLIN, January 23. /TASS/. German musician, composer, producer, and founder of disco superstars Boney M, Frank Farian (born as Franz Reuther), has died at the age of 82, the German television channel NTV reported.

According to the channel, Farian died at his home in Miami.

In 1961, Farian founded his own group, Frankie Farian und die Schatten, which performed in restaurants and dance clubs in Germany. The band became famous in 1965 when it took part in an international rock festival in Hamburg.

In 1968, Farian embarked on his solo career as a singer. However, by the mid-1970s, his singing career gradually faded, and he began to focus on composing and producing pop music. In 1976, he founded Boney M, a disco group which became popular during the disco era of the late 1970s. Farian wrote such Boney M. hits as "Rasputin" and "Daddy Cool." Later, Farian founded a number of other pop groups, including Eruption, Precious Wilson, Far Corporation, Milli Vanilli and La Bouche.

Internationally, Farian was often regarded as the most successful German music producer of the 1970s and 1980s. Over the course of his career, Farian sold over 850 million records and earned 800 gold and platinum certifications.