German composer and one-time Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze has died, aged 74.

Schulze's death was confirmed by his family via a Facebook post, which said that he passed away yesterday (April 26) after a long illness. "Not only does he leave a great musical legacy, but also a wife, two sons and four grandchildren," the statement continued. "On behalf of him and the family, we would like to thank you for your loyalty and support throughout the years – it has meant a lot!"

Starting out as a drummer for a band called Psy Free, Schulze left the project in the late '60s to join Tangerine Dream as a drummer during one of the group's early incarnations. He worked on their debut album, Electronic Meditation, but stepped away from the project shortly after.

From there, he formed Ash Ra Tempe in 1970, with Manuel Göttsching and Hartmut Enke, but left the group after only one album to pursue a solo career, beginning with 1972's Irrlicht. Schulze's solo work formed an extensive back catalogue of more than 60 albums, including Timewind and Moondawn, released in 1975 and 1976 respectively. He also enlisted Arthur Brown to perform vocals on his 1979 record Dune.

In 1976, he joined the supergroup Go, together with Japanese percussionist and composer Stomu Yamashta, Steve Winwood, Al Di Meola and more. Other collaborative projects saw him work with the German supergroup The Cosmic Jokers and Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard.

Details of Schulze's latest solo album, Deus Arrakis, were revealed only last month with a release date set for June 10. The record will be released through German label SPV, with whom he had a long-standing connection and had recently re-signed.

In a statement, SPV managing director Frank Uhle said: "We were shocked and saddened to hear the news of Klaus Schulze's sudden death. We lose and will miss a good personal friend – one of the most influential and important composers of electronic music – a man of conviction and an exceptional artist.

"Our thoughts in this hour are with his wife, sons and family. His always cheerful nature, his innovative spirit and his impressive body of work remain indelibly rooted in our memories."

Announcing Schulze's death, his family's statement concluded: "There's a lot more to write about him as person and artist but he probably would have told us: 'nuff said! According to his wishes we will bid farewell to him in the closest family circle. You know him and what he always said: my music is important, not my person."