Heartbroken Sir Rod Stewart paid tribute to his friend Richard Perry after the music producer died aged 82.
Richard Perry died in a Los Angeles hospital on Tuesday following a cardiac arrest. The producer, who worked with Rod and The Beatles, "maximised his time here", his friend Daphna Kastner confirmed. After hearing the news, Sir Rod took to his social media to pay tribute to the star.
"Dearest Richard, farewell, my dear buddy. They say in life a man is lucky if he can count his true friends on one hand, and you were certainly one of them," he wrote on his Instagram page. Now I've lost you, and I'm devastated. We played and worked so closely together for so many years, creating some of the most memorable music together."
Sir Rod added: "You were there when Penny and I first started dating, encouraging our relationship. We are both in tears as I post this farewell." Fans also took to the comment section to share their support. One user said: "He was a Prince of a man, as are you, dear Rod… my condolences to you and Penny. With love, Bebe."
"So sorry to read this rod thinking of u all and hes family," another person commented and one posted: "Sorry to hear of this loss. Richard Perry had innumerable successes with you, Rod Stewart, and especially, @carlysimonhq His contributions will live & play on for many years to come." Announcing the news of his death, Richard's close friend paid tribute to him in a heartbreaking statement.
“He was generous, fun, sweet, and made the world a better place," she said. "The world is a little less sweet without him here, but it’s a little sweeter in heaven.” Richard worked with the likes of Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart and more was hugely known as a "musician's producer".
Richard, who dated the likes of Jane Fonda and Elizabeth Taylor, had a huge impact in the industry, with musicians turning to him to update their sound or revive their careers. His production credits include Rod Stewart's The Great American Songbook series, Carly Simon's You're So Vain and Ringo Starr's 1973 album Ringo - which reached No.2 on the charts.
He also worked with Barbra Streisand, Harry Nilsson, Martha Reeves, Fats Domino and The Band. Barbra previously talked about Richard in her memoir, My Name is Barbra, and said: "Richard had a knack for matching the right song to the right artist."
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