On Instagram, Onielar wrote (as translated from German): "He has died many times... But death was only temporary. After a serious illness, perseverance, and great fighting spirit, our beloved friend and esteemed founder of Bethlehem – Jürgen Bartsch – passed away on August 27, 2025. In deep sorrow and with a broken heart, In the name of Bethlehem, We will never forget you, Jürgen. Rest in peace."
In early 2023, Bartsch reportedly suffered a triple heart attack. Despite this, the band announced earlier this year that they were working on new material, with recording and mixing expected to be completed by summer 2025.
Bartsch co-founded Bethlehem in 1991, being the bassist and principal songwriter throughout the band’s career. Widely credited with helping to pioneer the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal (DSBM) genre, Bethlehem fused black metal with doom metal across a series of influential 1990s albums, including their debut Dark Metal and the follow-up Dictius Te Necare.
[Thanks to no one for bringing this to our attention in the Shoutbox]
