Synthesizer innovator Robert Moog died at his home on Sunday of an inoperable brain tumor. He was 71. Moog started in the music business assisting his father making theremins; his innovations in electronic keyboards tie his name as tightly to the synthesizer as Les Paul is tied to the electric guitar.

He spent the early 1990s as a research professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville before turning full-time to running his new instrument business, which was renamed Moog Music in 2002. The roster of customers includes Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Beck, Phish, Sonic Youth and Widespread Panic.

Moog is survived by his wife, Ileana; his children, Laura Moog Lanier, Matthew Moog, Michelle Moog-Koussa and Renee Moog; a stepdaughter, Miranda Richmond; and his former wife, Shireleigh Moog.

A public memorial is scheduled for Wednesday in Asheville.