Spice Girl Mel C leads tributes after Grammy-winning producer William Orbit died aged 69.
The musician and producer, who worked with stars including Madonna, Britney Spears, No Doubt, Robbie Williams and P!nk, died at home on July 23.
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William Orbit death
In a statement, his family said: “It is with profound sadness that the family and friends of William Orbit announce that William died at home on 23rd 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.”
Mel C leads tributes for William Orbit
Following the sad news, many stars rushed to share tributes, including Spice Girl Mel C, who worked with him on her first solo album, Northern Star.
“Such an honour to have worked with this great man. Sending all my love xxx,” she wrote.
“He was one of the first people I ever worked with. I am so sad to hear this. Sending all my love to his family. RIP my friend,” Sonique added.
“Very sad to hear this. We love you William, thank you for your music and kindness always,” 2026 Strictly star Jaime Winstone expressed.
All Saints singer Shaznay Lewis also put a heartbroken emoji.
William’s early career
Born in Enfield on 15 December 1956, William began his career during the 1980s as a member of Torch Song alongside Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert.
The group signed with The Police manager Miles Copeland and established Guerilla Studios as part of the deal.
William also released music with Bassomatic, whose track Fascinating Rhythm reached number nine on the UK singles chart in 1990. He worked on the soundtrack for Youngblood, the film starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze.
His work with Madonna
William became closely associated with Madonna after producing her 1998 album Ray of Light.
The record reached number two in the charts, while his work with the singer earned him three Grammy Awards from seven nominations.
He later contributed to Madonna’s albums Music, released in 2000, and MDNA in 2012. He also co-wrote and provided vocals for Beautiful Stranger, which featured in an Austin Powers film.
William spoke warmly about the singer in March while revealing on social media that he had prepared what he considered a follow-up to Ray of Light.
Despite saying he had received no response after reaching out, he insisted he was not bitter and wrote: “I will always love that woman. For real. She made my career.”
Career with Britney Spears, Queen and All Saints
William’s long list of collaborators also included Prince, Queen, Kraftwerk, Sugababes and Robbie Williams.
He co-wrote and produced Alien for Britney Spears’ Britney Jean album. When an uncorrected version of the track was leaked, William publicly defended the singer, calling her “beyond stellar” and “magnificent”.
His later credits included work on Queen Forever and two tracks from All Saints’ 2018 album Testament.
Across his career, William sold more than 200 million recordings. He had also shared that he was writing a book, believed to be a memoir, although no formal announcement had been made.
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