Ben Runnels, technopop performer and jazz singer, among Oakland fire victims

Ben Runnels, technopop performer and jazz singer, among Oakland fire victims Ben Runnels, an Oakland musician who went by the name Charlie Prowler and whose latest project was with synthpop band Introflirt, was confirmed Monday to be among the dead in Oakland’s warehouse fire. Runnels, 32, had lived in Oakland for five years, according to family members, after being lured to the Bay Area by its vibrant music scene. “He was one of those people who could pick up any instrument,” said his sister, Erin Runnels, who booked a flight to the Bay Area from North Carolina on Monday after getting word of her brother’s death.