“Thriller” Songwriter, Rod Temperton Dead at 66 Years Old

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Originally posted on 2016-10-05 08:41:28

TheIndustry.biz is sad to report British songwriter Rod Temperton has died after a battle with cancer. Jon Platt, Chairman & CEO of Warner/Chappell, announced the news in a statement earlier today. Temperton was 66 years old.

โ€œ[Rod Tempertonโ€™s] family is devastated and request total privacy at this, the saddest of sad times,โ€ Platt also wrote in the statement.

Referred to as โ€œThe Invisible Man,โ€ without Platt the world wouldnโ€™t have a number of great songs. Temperton got his start in music through the funk group Heatwave, where he penned two of the bandโ€™s most well known songs to date, โ€œBoogie Nightsโ€ and โ€œAlways & Forever.โ€

Rod was an English songwriter, record producer, and musician from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England. He initially made his mark as the keyboardist and main songwriter for the R&B funk/disco band Heatwave before writing several internationally known songs performed by Michael Jackson, including mega-hit “Thriller” as well as “Off the Wall”, “Rock with You,” and numerous others.

We send our condolences to Rod’s family, friends, and fans.

Originally posted on 2016-10-05 08:41:28