Legendary record producer Richard Perry has died, aged 82
nme.comAP. “He was generous, fun, sweet and made the world a better place. The world is a little less sweeter without him here. But it’s a little bit sweeter in heaven.”Renowned as a producer, Perry received a Grammys Trustee Award in 2015.
Over his four-decade career, he worked with acts such as Rod Stewart, The Beatles, The Pointer Sisters, Barbra Streisand and Carly Simon, Art Garfunkel and Diana Ross, among others.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 18 1942, and his parents manufactured and sold musical instruments and also worked as music teachers.
Perry went on to study music and theatre at the University of Michigan, before graduating in 1964 and returning to New York to form his own independent record production company, Cloud Nine Productions.In 1967 Perry moved to Los Angeles, where he produced his first album – Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s debut, ‘Safe as Milk’.
That year, Warner Bros. Records hired him as a staff producer.Among his first credits in that role were novelty sensation Tiny Tim’s debut album ‘God Bless Tiny Tim’ – which included the Top 20 hit ‘Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me’ – and Ella Fitzgerald‘s ‘Ella’.One of Perry’s most recognisable hits was Carly Simon’s 1972 single ‘You’re So Vain’, which featured backing vocals from Mick Jagger.
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