Rupert Hine, producer for Tina Turner, The Fixx and Rush, dead at 72

British producer and songwriter Rupert Hine — who worked with musicians including Tina Turner, Rush, Stevie Nicks, The Thompson Twins, Bob Geldof, The Fixx, Suzanne Vega and Howard Jones — has died at age 72.

No cause was given for his death, which was confirmed by The Ivors Academy of Music Creators, for whom he served as a board member.

“His passion, wisdom, inspiration and his immense kindness will be hugely missed,” the organization said in a statement, according to Billboard.

Hine, who in the 1970s had a solo career and went on to work with bands including British group Quantum Jump, started his music career with 1960s folk duo Rupert & David. He subsequently rode the New Wave and worked with acts including Howard Jones and The Fixx in the 1980s.

In a tribute on Twitter, Howard Jones called him an “extraordinary man and one of my dearest longtime friends, my music mentor and producer, passed away in the early hours of this morning. I’m so fortunate to have spent a precious hour with him Tuesday. I will be writing about him on FB soon… luvya Roop !!’

But Hine is especially well-known as a producer on Tina Turner’s 1984 album “Private Dancer,” which proved a huge comeback for the sultry singer following her 1978 divorce from Ike Turner. He produced the Grammy-winning single “Better Be Good to Me” and also was a co-writer on the song “I Might Have Been Queen.” He additionally worked with her on subsequent albums “Break Every Rule” (1986) and “Foreign Affair” (1989).

In a June 2019 interview with rediscoverthe80s.com, Hine gave Turner high praise as he recalled working with her on the trio of records.

“Easily the most lasting memories I have of working with Tina on those three albums in the ’80s and early ’90s are all to do with her extraordinary singing talent,” he said. “I shall never forget the physical, nerve-tingling feeling that I experienced the very first time I recorded her in the studio.”

Hine produced Stevie Nicks’ fourth solo album, 1989’s “The Other Side of the Mirror,” for which he also co-wrote several songs. He produced Rush’s 1991 album “Roll the Bones” and 1989’s “Presto.”

In 2008, he produced a benefit album, “Songs For Tibet – The Art of Peace,” featuring artists including Alanis Morisette, Sting, Rush and Duncan Sheik, and produced the 2015 follow-up, “Songs For Tibet – The Art of Peace II,” which included works by Peter Gabriel, Howard Jones, Kate Bush and Lorde and was a tribute to the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.

Survivors include his wife, Fay, and a son, Kingsley, reports Billboard.

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