RUPERT HINE,
1947-2020
Renowned producer and artist Rupert Hine died on 6/4 following a long battle with cancer. He was 72.
The news comes from his old friend Kenny MacPherson, President of Big Deal Music, who learned the sad news from Hine's wife.
“Rupert Hine left us today,” Kenny wrote on Instagram late Thursday. “Heaven Wins Again. Such a beautiful talented kind spirit. I will continue to love and now miss you.”
Among those who reacted to the news were Merck Mercuriadis, who wrote, “What a beautiful man he was. Rest in peace, Rupert, and thank you for the music,” and Gary Gersh, who offered, “He was such an intelligent, loving soul. He taught me so much and [always had] the time to share his production wizardry with me. He spent long stretches of time with our family here in America over a few summers. My life was only better for knowing such a special human being. RIP, sweet Rupert.”
Born on 9/21, 1947, in Wimbledon, Surrey, Hine began his career in the mid-’60s as half of the folk duo Rupert & David. After releasing a pair of solo LPs in the early ‘70s, he formed the quartet Quantum Jump, which released two albums. A re-release of their track “Lone Ranger” became an unexpected U.K. Top 10 hit in 1979. Hine returned to solo recording in the ’80s, releasing three LPs, including the 1981 landmark Immunity. In 1985, he wrote and produced much of the soundtrack for the film Better Off Dead.
Hine’s career as a producer, which had begun in the early ‘70s, took off in the following decade, as he worked with Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Rush, Howard Jones, Bob Geldof, Chris de Burgh and Underworld, among others. He continued producing in the ‘90s and beyond with several of the above-named acts as well as Duncan Sheik, Milla Jovovich and Suzanne Vega.
In 2008, Hine produced the Dalai Lama tribute Songs for Tibet, and seven years later, he helmed Songs for Tibet II in conjunction with the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday, featuring contributions from Sting, Peter Gabriel, Lorde, Kate Bush, Elbow, Sheik, Geldof, Jones, Of Monsters & Men, Crystal Method and Hine himself.
He released what would be his final album of new material, Unshy on the Skyline, in 2015. Fighting Apathy With Shock, Hine's personally curated collection of tracks from the three LPs he recorded as Thinkman, came out in 2019.
Hine is survived by his wife Fay and son Kingsley.
