Grammy Award-winning producer William Orbit has died aged 69, his family and friends announced.
The London-born musician died at home on July 23, with his family saying in a statement posted to his Instagram page that he will be “greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched”.
The statement read: “It is with profound sadness that the family and friends of William Orbit announce that William passed away at home on July 23 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.”
Orbit produced Madonna’s 1998 album Ray Of Light, which saw the American singer move into electronica and trip hop, and also worked with her on the 2000 album Music, as well as co-writing and performing on her 1999 UK number two single Beautiful Stranger.
Ray Of Light saw Orbit pick up two Grammys for best pop album and best dance recording, while he also won one for best song written for visual media for Beautiful Stranger, which appeared in the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
With Blur, Orbit produced the 1999 album 13, which saw the band take a darker lyrical turn and produced singles such as Tender, Coffee & TV and No Distance Left To Run, and also worked on their track Sweet Song from 2003’s Think Tank album.
The band honoured the producer by sharing the cover art of the album in a post on Instagram with a heartbroken emoji and “William Orbit” written in the caption.
He also worked on Mel C’s 1999 debut solo album Northern Star, and in 2018 he worked on After All, a song from British girl group All Saints’ fifth studio album, Testament.
The former Spice Girls singer paid tribute to Orbit, posting on Instagram: “Such an honour to have worked with this great man. Sending all my love.”
Orbit also worked with Britney Spears and Will.i.am on the 2013 album Britney Jean, and produced a 2014 version of the Freddie Mercury solo track There Must Be More To Life Than This which featured Michael Jackson using archive vocals, and Queen.
For Irish rock band U2, Orbit produced two songs in Electrical Storm and The Hands That Built America which were the only previously unreleased tracks to feature on their compilation The Best Of 1990–2000.
Also paying tribute to Orbit was fellow producer Erol Alkan, who posted: “Incredible producer. Made so many records I love. My sincerest condolences.”
Orbit had a solo career which produced 12 studio albums, largely of electronic music, and was also a member of the groups Bassomatic and Torch Song.
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