David Axelrod, the legendary composer and former producer at Capitol Records, has reportedly died at the age of 83.
On Sunday afternoon, celebrities began posting tributes to the Los Angeles native on social media, remembering him for his far-reaching influence on the music industry—specifically in the hip-hop genre. Axelrod is widely known for being one of the first musicians to fuse elements of rock, jazz, and R&B during the 1960s and 1970s. His unique style of work has also been sampled by many, many artists in the hip-hop realm, ranging from Lil Wayne (“Dr. Carter”) and Mos Def (“Hip Hop”) to Dr. Dre (“The Next Episode”) and Cypress Hill ("16 Men Till There's No Men Left"). Two of his most famous tracks, “Holy Thursday" and "The Edge,” were featured in the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack in 2008.
Following reports of Axelrod’s death, Questlove posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, celebrating the producer’s work:
Figures like Pete Rock, DJ Shadow, and Hudson Mohawke also paid tribute. You can check out some of the messages below.
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