Beloved metal producer Chris Tsangarides has died at age 61 following a battle with pneumonia and heart failure. The rock producer, known for his work with Judas Priest (Painkiller), Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy (Thunder and Lightning) and a number of other hard rock acts died on Sunday (Jan. 7).
Among those paying homage to Tsangarides was Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who wrote, “I’m so saddened to hear of the passing of the Producer Chris Tsangarides — he has been a part of my life since the [’70s] when he worked as tape operator on the Sabbath album Sabotage and he’s worked with me on lots of other albums and stuff. What a lovely bloke he was and we always got on really well and had a great laugh too! He’ll be sadly missed. RIP my friend.”
Thin Lizzy member Jack Moore also paid homage to Tsangarides, who got his start in 1974 with a gig at Morgan Studios in London, which led to a job as a sound engineer on the 1976 Judas Priest album Sad Wings of Destiny. “Terribly sad news to hear of the passing of Chris Tsangarides,” Moore wrote. “Chris was like family to us, the kindest, most caring person you could ever want to meet. It also goes without saying he was one of the most talented producers in rock and metal.” The news was reportedly confirmed by the Grammy-winning producer’s daughter, Anastasia.
“It is with complete and utter sadness that I need to tell you all that our beloved father and my mums best friend Chris Tsangarides passed away peacefully last night after another brave battle with pneumonia as well as heart failure,” Anastasia reportedly wrote on her FB page. “We really are appreciating your messages of love and kindness but we are struggling to reply to them. With all our love and thanks from us all. Jane, Theo, Louis, Paris, Samantha and Casey. We’re gonna miss you everyday of our lives xxxxxxxxx.”
Tsangarides, a producer, sound engineer and mixer worked with a wide variety of hard rock and metal acts over the years, including Anvil (Metal on Metal), Moore, Helloween, Anthem, Yngwie Malmsteem and Angra, as well as indie, pop and alt-rock acts such as Tom Jones, Lords of the New Church and keyboardist Jan Hammer. He also remixed Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again,” worked with The Tragically Hip and produced Concrete Blonde’s Bloodletting, which included their top 20 1990 hit “Joey.”