Queen legend who produced Bohemian Rhapsody dies - cause of death not known
Roy Thomas Baker, the iconic music producer who worked on Bohemian Rhapsody with Queen has died at the age of 78, his publicist confirmed in a statement
Roy Thomas Baker, the legendary music producer who famously collaborated with Queen on their epic track "Bohemian Rhapsody," has passed away at his home at the age of 78.
His publicist confirmed the sad news in a statement, although no cause of death was disclosed. The iconic producer died on April 12, but the announcement was only recently made public.
Baker's illustrious career saw him working with an array of music giants including Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Free, Journey, The Cars, Yes, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Baker is perhaps most renowned for his role in producing Queen's groundbreaking six-minute masterpiece, "Bohemian Rhapsody."
In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, he described the song as "ageless" because it didn't conform to any specific music genre.
"I thought it was going to be a hit. We didn't know it was going to be quite that big. I didn't realise it was still going to be talked about 30 years later," he reflected, reports the Express.
Tributes have been pouring in for the late music legend on X. One fan expressed gratitude, writing: "Thank you for making my music world richer Mr. Roy Thomas Baker. Rest in peace,".
Another lamented the loss of a rock and roll icon, saying: "Another rock and roll legend, producer Roy Thomas Baker, passes. Baker made massive contributions to so many of rock's best bands, especially Queen, and The Cars, and his genius will be missed. Rest in peace,".
A third fan highlighted Baker's diverse body of work, stating: "Roy Thomas Baker, the producer who helmed seminal works by Queen and The Cars, has died at 78. While many will point to his work on 'Bohemian Rhapsody', I personally liked how The Cars s/t debut LP ends with 'Moving in Stereo' fading into 'All Mixed Up'.
"Godspeed sir. Roy Thomas Baker also worked on @AndyTaylorLives solo works post @duranduran in 1986 including the 'American Anthem' soundtrack," a fourth fan remarked.
"It is possible that no single person had more influence on rock music for over 2 decades than Roy Thomas Baker. He produced a who's who of rock royalty, including a little band from England named Queen," another admirer mused.
Born in Hampstead in North London in 1946, Roy began his illustrious career at Decca Records in the late 1960s. He quickly made a name for himself and soon became the in-house engineer at Trident, a Central London studio.
It was there he first encountered Queen, going on to produce their debut album, followed by Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera (which featured Bohemian Rhapsody), A Day At The Races, and Jazz.
"It [Bohemian Rhapsody] was the first time that an opera section had been incorporated into a pop record, let alone a Number One," he recounted to Sound On Sound in 1995. "It was obviously very unusual and we originally planned to have just a couple of 'Galileos'. But things often have a habit of evolving differently once you're inside the studio, and it did get longer and bigger."
Following the monumental success with Queen, he relocated to New York to work for Columbia Records. There, he produced for artists such as Journey, Ian Hunter, and Ronnie Wood, before being offered a senior A&R position at Elektra Records.
In a 1999 interview with MixOnline, he shared the secret behind his success: "My whole thing is, the more different you can sound from anything else around but still be commercially successful is great! Over the years, I've always hearkened back to that philosophy. Back when I did Bohemian Rhapsody, who would've ever thought of having a single with an opera section in the middle?".
"If you don't have that identifiable sound, you are getting merged in. If the DJ isn't mentioning who it is, then nobody will know who it is. It will just be another band, and nothing is worse than being anonymous. That is exactly what you don't want."