William Orbit, 1956–2026: musical maverick who produced era-defining hits for Madonna, Blur and All Saints

William Orbit secured his place in music history during the Y2K era, when he made a great electronica album with Madonna (1998’s ‘Ray Of Light’), a great alt-rock album with Blur (1999’s ’13’), and produced two stunning singles for All Saints: 2000’s ‘Pure Shores’ and ‘Black Coffee’. Yet this innovative musician and producer, who has died aged 69, also enjoyed a fascinating career before and after his heyday. Orbit was a musical maverick whose beautiful signature sound – leftfield dance influences accessorised with retro guitars – is destined to sound fresh forever. Born William Mark Wainwright on December 15 1956, Orbit was raised in Palmers Green in suburban North London. He described his childhood as “liberal but rigid” because his schoolteacher parents had “struggled to become middle-class”, an unusual combination that proved useful, perhaps, when he leapt down a creative rabbit hole with Madonna. In 2021, he said that working with the free-thinking but famously exacting singer on her ‘Ray Of Light’ album had nearly “killed” him. However, when he launched his music career in the early ’80s, Orbit’s approach was definitely more liberal than rigid. While squatting in West London,...