London, UK—Legendary producer and DJ Andrew Weatherall has died at the age of 56, with the UK music industry hailing him as one of the most influential figures of his generation.
Weatherall died on Feb. 17 at the age of 56. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism. A statement said: “He was being treated in hospital, but unfortunately the blood clot reached his heart. His death was swift and peaceful. His family and friends are profoundly saddened by his death and are taking time to gather their thoughts.”
Weatherall worked with some of the biggest acts of the acid house era, applying his formidable studio skills to records by the likes of Happy Mondays, New Order and Primal Scream, for whom he produced the inaugural Mercury Prize-winning Screamadelica in 1992.
He was also a respected DJ and remixed records for such artists as St. Etienne, Beth Orton and My Bloody Valentine.
Figures from across the music industry weighed in on the loss, paying tribute to Weatherall on Twitter. Tim Burgess, label owner and singer of The Charlatans, tweeted, “Shocked and saddened to hear that cosmic traveler Andrew Weatherall has left the building. Always a pleasure to meet up with him and share good times. Rest well, mate.” Meanwhile, broadcaster, DJ and record label owner Giles Peterson noted, “Hard to put into words the influence and impact Andrew Weatherall has had on UK culture…so sad to hear of his passing. RIP.” Fellow producer/DJ Sasha wrote, “We lost a legend today; such sad news. Genius music maker.”
Andy Bell of Ride offered that “An absolute titan of music has passed on. RIP Andrew Weatherall,” and Sleaford Mods tweeted, “RIP Andrew Weatherall. The king of cool. Very, very sad news. Thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers paid tribute, calling Weatherall “A true inspiration and hero. A lovely, funny man. Incredible DJ,” while New Order simply stated, “We are all very saddened to hear about the passing of our friend, and collaborator, Andrew Weatherall.”
Elsewhere, Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl posted, “So sad about Andrew Weatherall. He remixed “Sister” off my last album and I’ve honestly never sounded so insanely —-ing dubby in my life. Plus he was hilarious. Massive respect.”
This article first appeared on Pro Sound News sister site PSN Europe with the headline “Andrew Weatherall dies aged 56, industry pays tribute.”
