William Orbit – the Grammy Award-winning producer behind hits for Madonna, All Saints and Blur – has died at the age of 69.
News of his passing was shared in a statement posted on his social media pages on Friday (August 7) afternoon, which read: “It is with profound sadness that the family and friends of William Orbit announce that William passed away at home on 23 July 2026.
“We are deeply saddened by his passing. He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness. We kindly ask that the privacy of William’s family and close friends is respected during this difficult time.”
During his prolific career, Orbit worked on seminal albums such as Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light’ (1998) and Blur’s ’13’ (1999), while also collaborating with artists such as Melanie C, No Doubt, Ricky Martin and Britney Spears.
He first started making music in 1980 with electronic musicians Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert under the moniker Torch Song, finding success with ‘Prepare to Energize’, which featured in the movie ‘Bachelor Party’.
He and Mayer went on to establish Guerilla Studios together, which led to the inception of Orbit’s label, Guerilla Records.
During the ’90s, he remixed hits including ‘Justify My Love’ and ‘Erotica’ for the Queen of Pop, which led to their eventual collaboration, while also working on tracks for his then-girlfriend Beth Orton’s debut album, ‘Superpinkymandy’ (1993).
It was his work on ‘Ray of Light’ that won Orbit three Grammys in 1999 – leading to further work with Madonna on ‘Music’ (2000) and ‘MDNA’ (2012) – while his work on All Saints’ ‘Pure Shores’ led to BRIT Award nomination for Song of the Year.
In addition to his work with other artists, Orbit released a string of solo albums, including the UK No. 2 charting ‘Pieces in a Modern Style’ (2000) and his most-recent LP, ‘The Painter’.
