William Orbit, producer for Madonna and Blur, dies aged 69
“He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness,” his family and friends said in a statement
William Orbit, the dance musician and producer for the likes of Madonna and Blur, has died at the age of 69.
A statement posted to social media by Orbit’s family and friends revealed that he passed away on July 23. No cause of death has been revealed.
The statement read: “He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness.”
See the full statement below.
Orbit’s most famous work came in producing Madonna’s legendary Ray of Light album in 1998. He also worked with Blur on their album 13, for All Saints on the UK Number One hit ‘Pure Shores’, and for other artists including Pink, Britney Spears and more.
Orbit also released a host of successful solo albums, most recently the 2022 record The Painter.
Of Orbit and their work together, Madonna said: “I’d come to him with an idea of where I wanted to go musically, hum melodies or read lyrics, and then leave him alone in the laboratory. Sometimes he’d go in the direction I wanted and sometimes he’d swerve off somewhere else entirely.
“We’d end up with trance tracks that were eight minutes long and then keep adding and subtracting until we had real verses and choruses. We really put our noses to the grindstone.”