Producer David Richards, who had worked with the likes of Queen and David Bowie, passed away last Friday (December 20) following a long battle with an unspecified illness. He was 57.
A tribute to the producer was delivered on Queen's website over the weekend, saluting their fallen friend and studio collaborator. Richards had produced 1986's A Kind of Magic, 1989's The Miracle, 1991's Innuendo and the 1995 Made In Heaven project, completed using pre-recorded tracks of the late Freddie Mercury.
"He will be remembered by many as a good friend," Queen posted. "He was funny and generous and great company, a talented and capable man who had an instinctive 'magic touch' in the recording studio. His creative productions will be enjoyed for years to come."
Born in 1956, Richards's recording career began in 1973 at London's Chappell Studios, but moved on to Queen's own Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1975. A couple years later, he would become the chief engineer. He bought the studio from Queen in 1993 and worked there until 2002 before relocating to Attalens, Switzerland.
Over the course of his career, Richards was awarded a Juno for Best Jazz Recording in 1978 for recording Tommy Banks's Live at the Montreux Festival, worked with Iggy Pop on Blah Blah Blah and with David Bowie for a number of releases, including 1987's Never Let Me Down, 1993's The Buddha Of Suburbia and 1995's Outside. Richards also did mixing work for Duran Duran.
UK unit the Cribs had also spent time in the studio with Richards and likewise posted a tribute to the fallen producer.
"We are very sad to have today received the news that our friend David Richards has passed away in Montreux," they wrote on Facebook. "David was a producer that The Cribs always had a deep admiration for, having produced many of our favourite Queen records back in the 1980's/90's. We had the honour of recording with him back in the late summer of 2012, while working on preliminary sessions for In The Belly of The Brazen Bull."
Richards is survived by his children Wendy and Christopher.
A tribute to the producer was delivered on Queen's website over the weekend, saluting their fallen friend and studio collaborator. Richards had produced 1986's A Kind of Magic, 1989's The Miracle, 1991's Innuendo and the 1995 Made In Heaven project, completed using pre-recorded tracks of the late Freddie Mercury.
"He will be remembered by many as a good friend," Queen posted. "He was funny and generous and great company, a talented and capable man who had an instinctive 'magic touch' in the recording studio. His creative productions will be enjoyed for years to come."
Born in 1956, Richards's recording career began in 1973 at London's Chappell Studios, but moved on to Queen's own Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1975. A couple years later, he would become the chief engineer. He bought the studio from Queen in 1993 and worked there until 2002 before relocating to Attalens, Switzerland.
Over the course of his career, Richards was awarded a Juno for Best Jazz Recording in 1978 for recording Tommy Banks's Live at the Montreux Festival, worked with Iggy Pop on Blah Blah Blah and with David Bowie for a number of releases, including 1987's Never Let Me Down, 1993's The Buddha Of Suburbia and 1995's Outside. Richards also did mixing work for Duran Duran.
UK unit the Cribs had also spent time in the studio with Richards and likewise posted a tribute to the fallen producer.
"We are very sad to have today received the news that our friend David Richards has passed away in Montreux," they wrote on Facebook. "David was a producer that The Cribs always had a deep admiration for, having produced many of our favourite Queen records back in the 1980's/90's. We had the honour of recording with him back in the late summer of 2012, while working on preliminary sessions for In The Belly of The Brazen Bull."
Richards is survived by his children Wendy and Christopher.
