Rod Temperton, the British songwriter best known for Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Rock With You, has died.
In a statement, Jon Platt, chairman of music publisher Warner/Chappell, said Temperton died in London last week at the age of 66 following “a brief aggressive battle with cancer”.
His other songs included Off The Wall, Give Me The Night, Sweet Freedom, Always & Forever and Boogie Nights.
“His family is devastated and request total privacy,” Mr Platt said.
Temperton, from Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, whose private funeral has taken place, was nicknamed The Invisible Man because of his low profile.
He first found success as a member of disco band Heatwave, for whom he wrote Always & Forever and Boogie Nights, which were hits in the late 1970s.
He also worked closely with Michael Jackson’s producer Quincy Jones, leading him to write songs for Jackson’s breakthrough solo album Off The Wall and best-selling follow-up Thriller.
Temperton’s compositions were also recorded by artists including Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, The Brothers Johnson, George Benson, Herbie Hancock and Rufus and Chaka Khan.
He won a Grammy Award in 1990 for his work on Birdland from Quincy Jones’s album Back on the Block.
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