Andy Paley, a veteran producer and musician who labored with a variety of artists together with Brian Wilson, the Ramones, Madonna, Jonathan Richman, Elton John, Deborah Harry, NRBQ and lots of others, died following a quick battle with most cancers, a rep confirms to Selection. He additionally labored extensively in movie and tv, composing scores and writing songs for such prime animated collection as “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Ren & Stimpy,” “Digimon” and others. He was 72.

He was described by Wilson as “essentially the most frighteningly proficient individual that I’ve met and the best musical genius I’ve come throughout in a few years… perhaps my complete life.”

Most not too long ago, he and Tom Kenny — image, above proper, with Paley — who voices the Spongebob character, toured as Tom Kenny & the Hello-Seas, the16-piece rock and soul band.

A local of the Albany space of upstate New York, Paley started taking part in music even earlier than his teen years, at a 7-year-old writing “The Porcupine Track,” which was recorded by youngsters’s music performer Tom Glazer. He was a drummer for native bands earlier than shifting to Boston within the early ‘70s, the place he fashioned Catfish Black. Quickly renamed the Sidewinders, the band included future members of The Trendy Lovers, together with Jerry Harrison, who would go on to grow to be a member of Speaking Heads. They have been joined by Billy Squier and relocated to New York the place they performed Max’s Kansas Metropolis and signed to RCA Data with Lenny Kaye producing. After the Sidewinders broke up, Paley performed on periods and efficiency dates with Elliott Murphy, Patti Smith and Jonathan Richman, for whose later recordings Paley would function producer. 

Together with his youthful brother Jonathan, he fashioned the favored power-pop combo the Paley Brothers, whose uncommon milieu — they opened for each Patti Smith and Shaun Cassidy — could have performed a task of their restricted recognition. They recorded a single for Sire Data that produced by Jimmy Iovine (which preceded their 1978 debut album) and appeared within the Ramones’ movie “Rock ‘N’ Roll Excessive College.”

After the duo cut up, Paley turned a workers producer at Sire Data, the place he produced Brian Wilson’s eponymous 1988 solo album, co-writing a number of songs. In his later profession, he labored extensively in movie and TV music, together with the soundtracks for “Dick Tracy,” “A Stroll on the Moon,” “Wild Orchid,” “A Rage in Harlem” and the rating for Showtime’s “The L Phrase.” 

Tom Kenny commented, “My friendship with Andy and our collaboration — writing songs and my fronting the band that he fashioned —  is without doubt one of the biggest true joys I’ve ever skilled. He possessed not solely encyclopedic data of all pop music — particularly rock ‘n’ roll and lady group — however was additionally astoundingly astute when it got here to artwork and literature.”

Paley is survived by his spouse Heather Crist Paley, whom he married in 2010, and Jackson and Charlie – their twin sons who have been born in 2012. He additionally leaves three sisters, Sarah, Brewster and Debby and brother Jonathan Paley.