LONDON — British music producer William Orbit died on July 23, 2026. He was 69 years old.

Orbit died at home. No cause of death was given. A statement attributed to his family and friends announced his death on his social media account. "He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship and kindness," the statement read.

Orbit produced Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light. He won three Grammy awards for his work on the album, including best pop album and best dance recording. He also won the Grammy award for best song written for visual media for Beautiful Stranger.

"William is a complete madman genius," Madonna said of the Ray of Light sessions. She described an isolated, experimental process where she would provide initial ideas and leave him to work. "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," she said.

Orbit credited Madonna with making his career. "I will always love that woman. For real. She made my career," Orbit said earlier in 2026.

He produced remixes for Madonna's singles Justify My Love and Erotica prior to Ray of Light. He later worked with Madonna on her album Music, producing three tracks. In 1999, he produced Madonna's single Beautiful Stranger, which appeared on the soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. He produced Madonna's cover of American Pie in 2000, which appeared on the soundtrack for The Next Best Thing. Orbit co-produced six songs on Madonna's 2012 album MDNA.

Orbit produced Blur's album 13, which was released in 1999. The album included the hit singles Tender and Coffee and TV. Damon Albarn described Orbit's role on the album as "a psychiatrist."

Orbit produced All Saints' singles Pure Shores and Black Coffee, which reached number one on the UK charts. He worked with All Saints on two tracks from their 2018 album Testament. In 2021, Orbit said that he initially thought the song Pure Shores was bad because it had taken so long to make.

He produced Pink's single Feel Good Time, which reached number three on the UK charts and appeared on the soundtrack for the film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. The song was co-written by Beck, and Orbit was credited as a guest artist on the track.

Orbit worked with Britney Spears, Melanie C, Robbie Williams, Chris Brown, No Doubt, and Nadine Coyle. He worked with U2, producing two songs which appeared on their compilation The Best of 1990-2000. The U2 songs produced by Orbit were Electrical Storm and The Hands That Built America.

Electrical Storm reached number five in the UK. The Hands That Built America was used as the theme for the film Gangs of New York, which was directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 2002. Orbit produced Katie Melua’s album The House, which was released in 2010. He produced Caroline Lavelle’s album Spirit.

Orbit was born William Mark Wainwright in 1956 in London’s East End. He was the son of two teachers and was raised in north London. He left school at age 16.

In 1980, he formed the electronic trio Torch Song with Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert. Torch Song was signed to the label IRS and recorded two albums and four singles for IRS Records, releasing three albums between 1984 and 1987. Orbit created the soundtrack to the film Youngblood. He had a project called Bassomatic, and its single Fascinating Rhythm hit the UK Top 10. Orbit released his solo debut album in 1987 and a series of albums titled Strange Cargo in the 1990s.

He produced Beth Orton's debut album Superpinkymandy in 1993 and remixed her single Central Reservation. Orbit launched Guerilla Records in 1990, co-founding the progressive house label in the early 1990s with Dick O'Dell and John Gosling. The label supported acts like Spooky, React 2 Rhythm, and Chicago producers Felix da Housecat and DJ Pierre.

Orbit trained as a producer at his 24-track Guerilla Studios, where artists including the Cocteau Twins, Gary Numan, Sting and Ricky Gervais recorded. He released the album Pieces in a Modern Style in 1999. An earlier 1995 version of Orbit's take on Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings was deleted from sale after an objection from composer Arvo Pärt. The 1998 album faced protests from composers Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki, who objected to Orbit's electronic reinterpretations of their classical works, delaying its release until 2000. His remix of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings reached the UK Top 5 in 1999, aided by a trance remix by Ferry Corsten. Orbit contributed to the 2014 Queen Forever compilation, reimagining Queen's music alongside other contemporary producers. He was detained under mental health laws in the late 1990s, an event he later described as a pivotal moment that influenced his creative resurgence in the 2000s. Orbit released the album The Painter in 2022 and the album WFO in 2024.

Why It Matters

Orbit's death marks the loss of a producer whose work defined late-1990s pop and electronic music, including three Grammy-winning contributions to Madonna's Ray of Light. His production on chart-topping singles for All Saints and Pink, alongside his soundtrack work, established a sonic template that influenced multiple genres. The passing of the British musician ends a career that spanned from early electronic trios to collaborations with major global artists.