The 'Sonic Genius' Behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Has Died

One of the people most responsible for the unique sound of Michael Jackson's Thriller album has died. Bruce Swedien was 86 years old when he died Monday. His daughter, Roberta Swedien, announced his death on Facebook, saying that her father "passed away peacefully." No cause of death was given.

Over a career that spanned some seven decades, Swedien (pronounced "swi-DEEN") helped shape recordings by everyone from Count Basie to Barbra Streisand — as well as working closely with Michael Jackson and producer Quincy Jones. Along with Thriller, the trio's work together included Dangerous, and Bad — all netting Swedien Grammy Awards for engineering. (Swedien's other Grammy Awards came courtesy of other Quincy Jones projects: 1989's Back on the Block and 1995's Q's Jook Joint.)

On Tuesday, Quincy Jones paid tribute to his close friend and colleague on Instagram. In part, Jones wrote: "There are not enough words to express how much Bruce meant to me ... He was without question the absolute best engineer in the business, and for more than 70 years I wouldn't even think about going into a recording session unless I knew Bruce was behind the board."