William Orbit, legendary British producer, dies aged 69
A post written by Orbit's family on his official Instagram account confirmed that the late musician, composer and electronic artist passed away at home on 23rd July. “He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship, and kindness," read the post. No cause of death has been disclosed at the time of writing. He was 69.
Orbit famously worked on Madonna's iconic 'Ray of Light' album, as well as sculpting pop classics such as All Saints' 'Black Coffee' and 'Pure Shores' and Blur's sixth studio album '13'. Throughout his decades-long career, he worked on music by Melanie C, Finley Quaye, Robbie Williams, Beth Orton, Britney Spears and many more.
Born William Wainwright in 1956, Orbit was raised in Palmers Green, London and started making music in the '80s, forming the electronic pop outfit Torch Song in 1980 alongside Laurie Meyer and Grant Gilbert. His first major global breakthrough came in 1998 with the release of 'Ray of Light', for which he won two Grammy Awards: Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording.
The following year, he went to number four in the UK with his electronic take on Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which was featured on Orbit's sixth album, 'Pieces in a Modern Style' – nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2001 – and bolstered by a popular trance remix from Ferry Corsten.
He worked on Katie Melua’s fourth album 'The House' in 2010 and later released several other solo albums, including 'Pieces in a Modern Style 2' that same year and 'The Painter' in 2022.
Writing on Instagram, Corsten said: “He had a truly unique way of looking at music. He never followed the obvious path. He constantly challenged convention, embraced the unexpected, and created sounds that felt years ahead of their time."
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de DJ Mag, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
