Producer and musician Richard Swift dead at 41

By Scott Munro
published

Producer and musician Richard Swift who played with bands including The Black Keys and The Shins dies at the age of 41

(Image credit: Kevin Winter - Getty)

Producer, musician and singer/songwriter Richard Swift has died at the age of 41.

The news was confirmed on his Facebook page, with a post that reads simply “And all the angels sing, ‘Que Sera Sera.’ Richard Ochoa Swift. March 16, 1977 - July 3 2018.”

He died in Tacoma, Washington, with an official cause of death yet to be made public.

Swift toured with The Black Keys and played with The Shins and The Arcs. He also produced material for artists including Guster, Sharon Van Etten, The Mynabirds and Foxygen. During his career he released a number of solo EPs and albums – with his last full length The Atlantic Ocean arriving in 2009.

The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach lead the tributes to his friend on Instagram.

Along with a picture of himself and Swift, he posted: “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He’s now with his mom and sister. I will miss you my friend.”

Death Cab For Cutie’s Dave Depper said that Swift was “the most talented person I’ve ever met,” adding: “He was the archetypal court jester with a maniacal glint in his eye that just said, ‘I’m not sure where we’re going, but just trust me.’”

Other artists to pay tribute to Swift via social media, include Kings Of Leon’s Nathan Followill and American musician Kevin Morby.

Last month, a Go Fund Me campaign for Swift was launched after he was admitted to hospital due to a “serious medical condition”.

Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. He’s now with his Mom and Sister. I will miss you my friend. Easy Eye Sound

A photo posted by @easyeyesound on Jul 3, 2018 at 6:38am PDT

It’s not any sort of exaggeration to state that Richard Swift was the most talented person I’ve ever met, some impossible amalgamation of Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, and Levon Helm, beyond soulful on any instrument he picked up, and a writer of hilarious, heartbreaking, funky, psychedelic songs. He was the archetypal court jester with a maniacal glint in his eye that just said “I’m not sure where we’re going, but just trust me.” For so long, he was a cult artist, a unique Oregon treasure, but it’s no wonder that his secret finally got out, resulting in just about everybody on Earth wanting just a thimbleful of his magic on their records over the past few years. What he brought was unquantifiable, but unmistakably Swift. He’s responsible for my favorite 45 minutes of live music I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing, at Pickathon in 2011, a joyous explosion of soul that left an indelible mark on everybody who was in attendance. I think about it often. I’d give anything to experience it again. On a personal note, I owe Richard a huge debt of gratitude for recommending me for the Ray LaMontagne gig five years ago, an endorsement he certainly did not need to make, but one that profoundly changed the course of my professional life. My love to Richard’s friends, and sweet, sweet family. What a loss. I’ll be playing “Lady Luck” today, loudly. Dave Depper

A photo posted by @davedepper on Jul 3, 2018 at 8:02am PDT

There’s a lot I wanna say about Swift. About how I was a huge fan and then I met him at a jazz club in LA and so began our relationship of trading memes and how I was so grateful he made time to help me finish City Music and how recording with him was one of the craziest weeks of my life and how I got to see his spontaneous raw talent first hand and how he made me laugh and how he had demons and how addiction is a killer and if you or someone you know is suffering you should please seek help because you, like Richard and so many others, are - I’m more than sure - loved by so many and there’s a life out there for you and about how he’d call me often just to chat and congratulate me and tell me jokes and what horror movies to watch and how the last time we spoke he told me he wasn’t doing good “but will be soon”. I wanna talk about all that, but instead I made a list of some of my favorite things that he’s touched. Do yourself a favor and listen to them loud. Also pictured is a collage he made of me eating my own head like a hot dog right after I met him. Swift was a once in a lifetime producer, musician and personality and I am going to miss him. Will forever remember and cherish the moments I had alone with him especially while we recorded “Dry Your Eyes”- the only song on City Music that is just the two of us. It felt like I had won the lottery - being able to work with one of my heroes one on one like that. Back in the control room while we were mixing the song he panned the vocals hard right, saying “let’s do something that in twenty years we’ll look back on and say ‘why’d we do that?’”. Rest In Peace Swift and my love to his family during this time. I will truly miss the man. Knowing him was a literal wish come true. And again, if you or someone you know are suffering from addiction, please talk about it. Don’t be afraid of the subject and to reach out. There are many who will listen & a beautiful life on the other side, I promise. . 1-800-662-HELP SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorde Kevin Morby

A photo posted by @kevinmorby on Jul 3, 2018 at 8:39am PDT

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Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald newspapers, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.