The Prodigy star Keith Flint's provisional cause of death has been recorded as hanging, an inquest has heard.

The 49-year-old was found at his home in Essex on Monday 4 March, with bandmate Liam Howlett saying he had "taken his own life" in a tribute post on social media.

Image: Flint (centre) with The Prodigy bandmates Maxim (left) and Liam Howlett

An inquest into his death has now been opened, with coroner's officer Lynsey Chaffe saying the cause of death has been provisionally recorded as hanging.

"Police attended, all protocols were followed and his death was confirmed as not suspicious," she told the two-minute hearing in Chelmsford.

A post-mortem was carried out at Broomfield Hospital three days after Flint's death, the inquest heard.

Further investigations are still under way, with the results of toxicology reports awaited.

Senior coroner for Essex, Caroline Beasley-Murray, opened and adjourned the inquest until July 23 for a full hearing.

Image: Flint was one of the most recognisable frontmen of the 1990s

Flint found fame with The Prodigy as a dancer in the '90s, with the band emerging from the underground rave scene and hitting the top 10 with singles including Charly, Out Of Space, No Good (Start The Dance) and Poison.

But it was when he moved to become the main vocalist on tracks including Firestarter and Breathe, from third album The Fat Of The Land, that the band were really propelled into the mainstream.

They released their latest album No Tourists in November, their seventh consecutive number one record.

The band were due to tour the US and also play Glastonbury Festival, but have now cancelled all of their shows.

Over the weekend, the band thanked fans for the outpouring of support and tributes posted on social media in the wake of Flint's death, saying the messages "kept us going".

Contemporaries such as Faithless and The Chemical Brothers were among those to pay tribute, but there were also more unlikely but touching posts from musicians including James Blunt and Brian May.

It is with deepest shock and sadness that we can confirm the death of our brother and best friend Keith Flint. A true pioneer, innovator and legend. He will be forever missed.

We thank you for respecting the privacy of all concerned at this time. pic.twitter.com/nQ3Ictjj7t — The Prodigy (@the_prodigy) March 4, 2019

In their own tribute, The Prodigy described Flint as "a brother and best friend".

"A true pioneer, innovator and legend. He will be forever missed."

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