Acclaimed British musician and producer William Orbit has died at the age of 69, it’s been confirmed.
Perhaps most famous for producing Madonna’s 1998 album Ray Of Light – widely regarded as one of the best of her career – he also did notable work with Blur and British girl band All Saints.
Alongside his production work, Orbit released a consistent stream of solo albums, the last of which – The Painter – came out in 2022.
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His golden period, though, came in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. After Ray Of Light had reinvigorated Madonna’s career and turned Orbit into a household production name – hits from the record included the title track, Frozen, Drowned World/Substitute for Love and The Power of Goodbye – he was invited by Blur to give their sound a makeover. The result was 1999 album 13, which featured the singles Tender and Coffee & TV.
Once again, Orbit had helped an artist to create some of the best music of their career, and he went on to work similar magic with All Saints, producing Pure Shores and Black Coffee from their 2001 album, Saints & Sinners.
Orbit’s biggest solo release was his reworking of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, from 1995’s Pieces In A Modern Style, with the Ferry Corsten remix of the track becoming a massive club hit.
Speaking to MusicRadar in 2022, around the time of The Painter’s release, he was asked to name his favourite collaboration.
“I’ve had great times and it’s very hard to pick one,” he replied. “There are these fun, crazy sessions where everyone’s wild and probably drinking too much and something comes out of it and then there are ones that are a struggle and suddenly there’s a breakthrough. I just enjoy them all.”
News of Orbit’s death was broken in a statement posted by his family and friends on his social media channels, which confirmed that he died at home on 23 July.
“We are deeply saddened by his passing,” it reads. “He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness.”
