Madonna pays emotional tribute to William Orbit: “Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on”

Madonna has paid an emotional tribute to her former collaborator William Orbit, saying “in many ways you were my ray of light”. READ MORE: William Orbit, 1956-2026: musical maverick who produced era-defining hits for Madonna, Blur and All Saints Orbit, whose real name was William Wainwright, died at home on July 23 at the age of 69. His passing was announced yesterday (August 7), although no cause of death was shared. His working relationship with Madonna shot him to stardom in the late ’90s, winning him three Grammys – two for 1998 album ‘Ray Of Light’ and one for the song ‘Beautiful Stranger’. Madonna has now reflected on their time together in a moving tribute on her Instagram, where she said she had “an epiphany” when she started working with him. “I realized that music did not have to fit into categories or genres,” she wrote. “So we created our own. You pressed a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealized dreams. Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on and I visited many places. Sad and joyful.” Posted alongside their Grammy acceptance speech for ‘Ray Of Light’, she continued: “I say in ways I’d never sung before. I used words without caring if they ...