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Extra.ie
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Tributes pour in as music industry icon dies at 78
Roy Thomas Baker, producer of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', has died aged 78. He died at his home in Arizona on April 12, though his family have only just announced the news. No cause of death was given. Born in London, 1946, Baker began working in recording studios at 14. He worked as an apprentice engineer at Decca Studios, which witnessed then-budding star David Bowie, the beginnings of Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, The Who and other greats of the era. He would later work at Trident Studios, where he would collaborate with Queen on their 1973 debut. Baker went on to co-produce the rock icons' albums Queen II , Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera , which featured 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. ''Bohemian Rhapsody' was totally insane, but we enjoyed every minute of it,' Baker said in a 1999 interview. 'It was basically a joke, but a successful joke.' 'The middle part started off being just a couple of seconds, but Freddie kept coming in with more 'Galileos' and we kept on adding to the opera section, and it just got bigger and bigger,' he added. Queen would produce A Day at the Races and News of the World themselves, bringing Baker back to work on their 1978 record Jazz . Outside of his work with Queen, Baker would produce albums for artists like Journey, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Darkness, Foreigner and many more. He would also produce The Cars' first four records; The Cars , Candy-O , Panorama and Shake It Up . 'Roy taught me a lot about handling band personalities,' The Cars' Ric Ocasek said in 2016. 'He was an electronics whiz, a sound guy with a classical background for mic-ing the room's sound.' 'He got harmony,' he continued. 'And he took things in stride – a very upbeat, elegant man. Spontaneous too.'
Metro
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Bohemian Rhapsody producer Roy Thomas Baker dies aged 78
Influential music producer Roy Thomas Baker, who contributed to five Queen albums including Bohemian Rhapsody, has died aged 78. Baker also worked with artists including Guns N' Roses, Alice Cooper, Dusty Springfield and Ozzy Osbourne in his four-decade-long career. The British music star's death was confirmed in outlets including Ultimate Classic Rock. The cause of death has not been announced. His publicist said he died at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, on April 12, and the news had 'just been revealed by his family.' Alongside Bohemian Rhapsody, Baker also produced Queen albums Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera and Jazz. His co-production credits on Queen songs include hits Killer Queen and Don't Stop Me Now. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Instagram, Queen star Sir Brian May paid a lengthy tribute to Baker, writing that he was 'very sad' to learn about his death. He said: 'Roy played a huge part in the production of so much Queen music in the early days.' Sir Brian added:' Roy was a part of our production team from the very beginning up to and including the album A Night at the Opera. We then parted company for A Day at the Races, but reunited for the Jazz album. Roy's production contribution along with Mike Stone's engineering for Bohemian Rhapsody will never be forgotten. 'I regret slipping out of touch latterly with Roy. I suppose life moves at such a pace these days that we imagine there will be plenty of time to rekindle a friendship, and then suddenly one day it's too late. Thank you, Roy for all the great work you did for us, and all the fun we had. Rest in Peace. Bri.' Metro has teamed up to give away 20 pairs of tickets to Polygon Live LDN, a unique new festival taking place in London's Crystal Palace Park from 2-4 May 2025. Blending light and spatial sound, the 360° immersive festival has a stellar lineup including popular artists such as Max Cooper, Jon Hopkins and Tinariwen, as well as the likes of Arooj Aftab and Photay. For a chance to win an incredible day out at this UK-first festival for you and a friend, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on 18 April 2025 to enter. Good luck! *Open to GB (excluding N. Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion open from 12:01 on 02/04/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 18/04/2025. 1 entry per person. 20 prizes of 2x General Admission Single Day tickets to attend 1 day of Polygon Live LDN 2025 at Crystal Palace Park, valid for either Friday 2 May 2025, Saturday 3 May 2025 or Sunday 4 May 2025. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Full Polygon T&Cs apply to entry and attendance, see here. After completing his last Queen album Jazz, which was released in 1978, Baker went on to work for rock bands such as Journey and Foreigner. In the 80s, he also produced albums for Motley Crue, Slade and The Stranglers. More recently, Baker contributed to The Darkness' hit album One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back and The Smashing Pumpkins' American Gothic. On Sir Brian's Instagram, social media users remembered Baker's contribution to music, including Worleygigdotcom, who wrote: 'He was truly one of a kind.' More Trending Echoing their sentiment, Davalliana.3D commented: 'Very sad. 😔 We owe him a lot, that's for sure! Thanks for sharing your memories.' Queenfanne shared: 'Wonderful stereos with lovely memories. Thank you for sharing. Sorry for the loss.' Dakotadawnstereos also added: 'So sorry to hear this, Brian. He contributed much to the success of Queen and other musicians. RIP Roy.' More to follow. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Freddie Mercury's sister 'spent £3,000,000 to get back singer's memorabilia' sold by his ex MORE: Carlos Santana rushed to hospital after backstage medical emergency cancels show MORE: Inside 'feud' between John Lennon's sons as Sean Ono speaks out
