SpongeBob SquarePants composer Andy Paley dies aged 72

nme.com:

Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Ramones, Madonna, Elton John, Patti Smith and Debbie Harry over the years, passed away on Wednesday (November 20) after battling cancer.Wilson, who Paley produced and co-wrote songs for on his solo comeback album in 1988, was one of the first to pay tribute to the late composer.A post on his official Instagram read: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Brian’s friend and collaborator, Andy Paley.

Andy was literally instrumental in Brian starting his solo career with his critically acclaimed 1988 album, ‘Brian Wilson’.“Andy played electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, percussion, keyboards, harmonica, and provided backing vocals.

He co-wrote three of the songs, including ‘Rio Grande.’ Andy collaborated again with Brian on the legendary, unreleased Wilson-Paley Sessions, counting more than twenty songs.

Brian always called him ‘The Genius Andy Paley.’ Love and mercy goes out to Andy’s family and friends.”A post shared by Brian Wilson (@brianwilsonlive)Paley launched his music career in the mid-1970s as a member of the rock band Catfish Black, who recorded an album produced by Patti Smith’s guitarist Lenny Kaye.He then formed a band called the Paley Brothers with his brother Jonathan Paley but they broke up in 1979.Paley then took a job as a staff producer at Sire Records and worked on several albums in the 1970s and 1980s.In the 1990s, he started writing music for films including the 1990 movie Dick Tracy starring Warren Beatty and Madonna.In the noughties, Paley started working with Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Squarepants franchise, writing and producing music for the series and composing for the 2004 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.