Iconic Nirvana Producer Steve Albini Dies at 61

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Renowned vocalist, guitarist, and producer Steve Albini, known for his work on albums that pushed boundaries in the alternative music scene, died from a heart attack Tuesday in Chicago at age 61.

The news was confirmed to Pitchfork by staff at his studio, Electrical Audio.

Albini established himself as the frontman for bands including Big Black, Rapeman, and Shellac. He also produced — or, in his preferred term, engineered — albums for numerous artists including Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Page and Plant. He maintained a strong DIY and punk ethos, resisting streaming services and refusing to take royalties for music he produced.

Hailing from Pasadena, California, Albini’s family led a nomadic existence during the first few years of his life before settling in Missoula, Montana. It was during his teenage years that he began to shape his identity through music after discovering the Ramones. He went on to study journalism in Illinois, where he became involved in the Chicago punk scene.

“It was an extremely active, very fertile scene where everybody was participating on every level,” Albini said during a 2023 NPR interview while commenting on Chicago’s music scene. “The community that I joined when I came to Chicago enabled me to continue on with a life in music. I didn’t do this by myself.”

Albini started recording with Big Black in the early 1980s before going on to form Rapeman and then Shellac in the early 1990s with Bob Weston and Todd Trainer. They released several EPs and five albums.

Throughout his career, Albini was known for his work principles and skepticism of the music industry. He refused to accept royalties for his work, even on acclaimed albums like Nirvana’s “In Utero.”

Additionally, he was a celebrated poker player, winning two prized bracelets at World Series of Poker events and raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings.

Remembering Albini, David Grubbs, whose band Gastr del Sol worked with the producer, summed him up as “a brilliant, infinitely generous person, absolutely one-of-a-kind, and so inspiring to see him change over time and own up to things he outgrew,” according to The Guardian.