William Orbit, Madonna's Grammy-Winning Producer, Dies At 69

Grammy Award-winning British musician and producer William Orbit, who worked with artists including Madonna, Britney Spears and U2, has died aged 69, his family and friends shared on Friday.

The producer’s death was announced Friday on his social media account, which specified that Orbit, whose real name was William Wainwright, died July 23 at his home. No cause of death was disclosed.

“It is with profound sadness that the family and friends of William Orbit announce that William passed away at home on 23rd July 2026,” the statement read.

William Orbit's Successful Records

“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", the statement added.

Orbit was best known for his work on Madonna’s 1998 album, Ray of Light. The album broke out as one of Madonna’s most successful, with multiplatinum sales and three Grammy wins. Ray of Light sold more than 4 million copies in the United States alone. Orbit and Madonna collaborated again for Beautiful Stranger, a Grammy-winning single from the soundtrack of 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and for an electro-pop cover of Don McLean’s American Pie that featured in the 2000 movie The Next Best Thing, in which Madonna starred.

Speaking to Keyboard magazine in 1998, Madonna called Orbit “a complete madman genius. Orbit also worked with Britney Spears and Will.i.am on the 2013 album Britney Jean and produced two songs that featured on U2's compilation The Best Of 1990-2000. He left a major imprint on the mainstream of the late '90s and early 2000s.