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Pierce Fulton, the former Burr and Burton Academy music standout who went on to make a name for himself internationally in electronic dance music has died, according to a family member. He was 28.
Fulton, a 2010 graduate, died April 29 in Connecticut, where he grew up before the family moved to Stratton right after the Sept. 11 attacks.
He attended Long Trail School, Stratton Mountain School, and, finally, BBA.
His older brother Griff Fulton reported his sibling's death in a statement posted Monday to social media sites.
“It breaks my heart to share with you that Pierce passed away ... following a tragic struggle with his mental health,” Griff wrote.
The news hit hard in the EDM community: Pierce Fulton, a talented and renowned DJ musician and record producer, performed at major EDM festivals worldwide and collaborated with leading artists in the music industry.
His death was reported in an array of major news and industry publications around the world, from Billboard to Entertainment Tonight.
Griff Fulton’s post to social media described his brother as “The most magical person that we were all so blessed to know, hear and see.”
“Pierce was so incredibly full of life, love and unimaginable creativity,” Griff wrote. “He was kind, caring, thoughtful, silly and sweet.”
In an interview, Griff described Pierce as a “selfless, compassionate and wanted to make everybody in the room happy type of person.”
“He could captivate a room of strangers in the blink of an eye with only one hope, to make everyone feel loved, comfortable and welcomed,” Griff wrote.
Local Impact
Pierce’s career began at BBA when he ran into husband and wife teachers Neil and Julie Freebern.
“Pierce was deeply, deeply inspired by Neil Freebern,” Griff said. “Neil and his wife are the reasons Pierce was able to have a music career. They basically sparked his entire career.”
Neil Freebern sees it as a partnership and friendship.
“Pierce and I were partners in learning at a time when electronic dance music was becoming the popular music of the day,” Neil Freebern said. “Together we explored the use of digital audio workstations, music theory, ensemble performance and more.”
Together they formed an electronic music ensemble, Circuits, which still exists today.
“As Pierce’s career exploded on the EDM scene, my current students saw him as a role model,” Neil Freebern said. “Pierce would continue to come back to Burr and Burton to share his experience and work with my students. The pride I felt in seeing Pierce work with young people was overwhelming.”
Pierce shared his knowledge and it paid off.
Another student recently told Freebern that Pierce was his inspiration for his career.
“The video of Pierce performing in Vegas that [Freebern] included in the music production course is the reason I wanted to DJ in the first place,” said Chaston Finaldi, an accomplished DJ. “I remember watching it like 100 times, I listened to that track day and night.”
Freebern said it was Pierce’s character that most impressed him.
“He was thoughtful, empathic and loved working with students,” Neil Freebern said. “His success as an artist was met with a humility and grace that was inspiring. Pierce, once my student, became my teacher and lifelong friend.”
Julie Freebern said Pierce was “involved in every aspect of our music department contributing his instrumental and vocal talents to our curricular ensembles as well as our academic offerings including music history, music theory, electronic music, digital dj and audio production.
Julie Freebern said Pierce’s impact has benefitted hundreds of students over the years.
He served as a guest speaker a year ago as part of an alumni series under remote learning.
“Pierce’s humble disposition, sincerity and approachable demeanor coupled with his powerhouse career in the music industry built a special bridge between his roots here at BBA and a new generation of musicians,” Julie Freebern said. “Our pride in Pierce's journey as a young man and artist has been and remains steadfast.”
Griff said Pierce loved working with the BBA students.
“He was just so happy sharing all of his music experiences with these kids,” Griff said. “I thought he was going to end up going back and becoming a teacher there someday.”
BBA headmaster Mark Tashjian shared the school’s condolences.
“Pierce was an incredibly talented young man who lived a life of impact, creativity and abundance; it is tragic that he did not have more years on this planet,” Tashjian said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and fans worldwide. All who knew him share in the sadness of his loss.”
Launching a career
After graduating from BBA, Pierce attended the University of Vermont. But that was when his music really started to take off.
While at UVM, he started getting offers to play shows all over the world and ended up dropping out of college to pursue his music.
“He played in more countries than most people will get to visit in their lives,” Griff said.
He released his debut solo EP "Pardon My French" while in his late teens. He began touring extensively and became a headliner throughout North America and Central America. He also played festivals in Europe.
His single, "Runaway" topped the Billboard's Emerging Artists chart and later that year, he released "Kuaga (Lost Time),” which rose to No. 38 on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. It got a big boost when the song was used in a Smirnoff ad campaign in India.
“Kuaga,” was “the right place at the right time,” Griff said. “He got a lot of international fame from that. It helped carry his career into new corners of the world.”
In 2016 Pierce released "Borrowed Lives," an album inspired by getting back to non-digital instrumental roots of his high school years.
Pierce quickly climbed the ranks of the EDM world, playing all the biggest festivals including the Ultra Music Fest in Miami, the largest EDM festival in the United States. He also played Tomorrow Land in Belgium, which is the biggest EDM gathering in the world.
And Pierce played the Electric Zoo festival in New York City many times.
Among some of Pierce’s high profile successes were collaborations with other popular EDM artists.
Pierce’s friendship with actor, singer and DJ Ansel Elgort who starred in “The Fault in Our Stars” kept Pierce in the spotlight. The two collaborated on a remix of Pierce’s song, “Runaway.”
Pierce also collaborated with Dutch DJ and record producer Martin Garrix. Their song, “Waiting for Tomorrow,” featuring vocals by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, first premiered at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in 2016. The song hit No. 26 on the dance/electronic music charts.
At the time of his death, Pierce was hard at work on his latest project with his best friend Gordon Huntley, “Leaving Laurel,” which he started in 2019 and was due out this August.
Special Night
Griff said Pierce had found the love of his life in January 2020 when he met Anastasia at a party in a club in Los Angeles.
“I saw them see each other across the nightclub,” Griff said. “It was a very special night. She was the burst of sunshine in his life.”
They traveled the world and spent every moment they could together before marrying in February.
“It was the first time I’d ever seen him that in love and happy,” Griff said. “It was like a switch was flipped.”
Stop the Stigma
Griff said he wants anybody suffering to know they do not have to suffer alone.
“Pierce was trying to get help; it’s not easy,” Griff said. “It’s hard for people to get help right now.”
The pandemic has left mental health professionals overwhelmed.
But, Griff said it’s critical that people continue to talk about the mental health crises and that the stigma is removed.
“The most important thing is trying to remove that stigma,” Griff said. “The more people talk about that struggle the sooner it will break down.”
Griff said that since his brother’s death, he’s heard from a lot of people who have lost someone due to mental illness.
“It’s really cool to see how open everyone has been,” Griff said.
But it’s not always easy to see, Griff said.
“It can be invisible,” he said. “Pierce was working on an album and making videos, he was completely focused on his work. He was not debilitated and sitting in bed all day. He was focused and things were extremely hopeful. It was very deep but just under the surface.”
Griff said he wants people to check on each other.
“People go through things and you may not know about it,” Griff said. “Keep in touch with your friends and your loved ones. Check in with them.”
In his social media post, Griff talked about the past year.
“This past year has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone,” Griff wrote. “If you or anyone you know has been struggling, please take your intuition seriously, speak up about your feelings, and reach out for help. Each and every one of you matters and are loved more than you can ever know.”
Music will Survive
Manchester resident Andrea Ross, a family friend, wrote a private message to Pierce’s family that was shared with the Journal.
“His passion and inspiration came from the depths of his soul and gave rise to his gentle sensitivity,” Ross wrote. “A sensitivity that he transmuted into harmonic notes and scales through which he could communicate his deepest emotions. … His pain was the unwanted and uncomfortable muse of his artistry. He channeled that pain in his heart into the creative force of his music and became a master musician.”
Ross wrote that his music is a gift he’s left behind.
“His music will survive and becomes a precious and permanent gift to the world,” Ross wrote. “His beautiful and powerful ability to weave music and the words of his heart and soul into vibratory, audible creations becoming pieces of magic that inspired so many all around this enormous earth. He influenced the joy and entertainment of millions and his music will continue to make his presence felt.”
Services
His obituary shares that Pierce deeply loved Vermont and was an avid snowboarder and skateboarder.
Pierce Fulton is survived by his wife Anastasia, parents Brook and Michael Fulton, brother Griff Fulton and sister Addie Fulton, his grandparents J. Anthony and Donna Fulton, several aunts and uncles.
A memorial service was scheduled for 2 p.m., Friday, May 7, in Greenfield Hill Congregational Church's Memorial Garden, Fairfield, Connecticut.
