• Have YOU got a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
• See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source

Pop music producer William Orbit has died aged 69.

A statement on his social media, attributed to family and friends, said he died at home on 23 July and no cause of death was given.

The post read: 'It is with profound sadness that the family and friends with 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.'

Pop music producer William Orbit has died aged 69, it was revealed on Instagram on Friday - he was famed for working with Madonna, U2 and Blur(pictured in 2022)

William pictured with Madonna at the 1999 Grammys, where they accepted an award for Ray Of Light

A post on William's Instagram announced the sad news on Friday

William was famed for his collaboration with Madonna on her 1998 album Ray of Light, which won them a Grammy.

He also worked on some of her most iconic hits, Frozen and The Power Of Goodbye.

William also worked with the likes of Blur, U2 and All Saints.

In addition to his collaborations, he released various albums under his own name over the years, including his Strange Cargo series.

The last songs he is credited as producing were for All Saints in 2018, working on two tracks for their Testament album.

Before that, he had worked on Queen Forever and Britney Spears' 2014 album Britney Jean, co-writing and producing the track Alien.

He sold over 200 million recordings in his life, starting in the 1980s as a member of Torch Song, alongside Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert.

'Honestly, I regard the whole of life as one giant improv session! Simple as that. But at the time of making a song, none of us actually have that clarity to worry about how we'll look back at it. So the time is always of the moment. For me, looking back now, I'm happy with most of it,' he said in an interview with The Talks.

He sold over 200 million recordings in his life, starting in the 1980s as a member of Torch Song, alongside Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert (pictured in 2025)

William pictured with pop singer Dido in 2000

He collaborated with Girls Aloud singer Nadine Coyle on her 2010 solo album Insatiable

Following the news of his death, singer Sonique paid tribute, writing: '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.'

DJ Abel added: 'William, no. Rest in peace friend x.'

Darren Emerson added: 'Oh no. Absolutely gutted to hear this. I'll always remember our long phone conversations we used to have back in the day. It was a pleasure to work with one of the best producers I've known . You will be sadly missed mate and your music will always shine bright. Thanks for everything you gave us . RIP William.'

In March, William revealed that he had written Ray Of Light sequel.

In a Facebook post, the producer has said he's responding after being 'asked constantly' about working with Madonna again. His blunt message: '(It) is NOT going to happen.'

He elaborated: 'I have an album ready that imho is indeed the successor to Ray Of Light. Everything about how it was made and how it sounds yells that from the first few bars.'

'And I reached out. And there has been heard. Nil response. A week later. I speak with many close to her, including fam, but have not had a single syllable back in over two decades.'

Orbit said he didn't want to come across as 'bitter because in my life and art now I'm finally where I want to be and the very opposite of bitter.'

'No idea whatsoever what's in her head,' he continued. 'I believe she is very happy, she looks fabulous and full of life in recent pics I've seen, although I don't really follow. Zero zero absolute zero hard feelings.

'Are you kidding, I will always love that woman. For real. She made my career.'

In a previous interview, Madonna said 'William is a complete madman genius.'

She told The Guardian: '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.

'Sometimes he'd go in the direction I wanted and sometimes he'd swerve off somewhere else entirely.

'We'd end up with trance tracks that were eight minutes long and then keep adding and subtracting until we had real verses and choruses. We really put our noses to the grindstone.'

In 2021, he opened up about his struggles with substance use four years before.

As well as heavy marijuana use, he was taking 'LSD, mushrooms, MDMA, coke, some hormones that everybody was experimenting with. Codeine. I wasn't aware of what I was doing and I ended up having a psychotic episode,' he told The Guardian.

He was sectioned. 'Fortunately, once the drugs were out of my system, I finally got back to being normal – and out I was,' he said.