US record producer and ‘punk legend’ Steve Albini dies aged 61

Record producer Steve Albini, who worked with Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, has died aged 61, his recording studio has said.

Albini produced Nirvana’s 1993 album In Utero, the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, and PJ Harvey’s album Rid Of Me, as well as Walking Into Clarksdale, the only album by surviving Led Zeppelin members Page and Plant.

He also performed in his own bands, Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac, and founded his own studio in Chicago called Electrical Audio.

The studio did not give the cause of his death.

Among those paying tribute was British musician Frank Turner, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Wow. Medium gutted to hear about Steve Albini’s passing. A punk legend.”

The Pixies, who worked with Albini on their debut album, also posted a tribute photograph of Albini on X.

The Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the film franchise, wrote: “Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues. Farewell, Steve Albini.”

Albini’s band Shellac had featured at more than a dozen Primavera Sound festivals in Barcelona.

The music festival said on X: “We are gutted to learn about Steve Albini’s death at 61.

“We have lost a legend, a friend, a member of our family. What are we going to do without you, Steve?

“After having welcomed them at 15 editions of the festival, it is impossible for us to imagine a Primavera Sound without him, because no band explains us better than Shellac.”

The news of Albini’s death comes a week before Shellac were set to release their album titled To All Trains.

The album is scheduled to be released on May 17 but it is unclear if it will be delayed.