Richard Swift 1977 – 2018

Renowned musician and producer Richard Swift has died at the age of 41. Pitchfork confirmed Swift passed away Tuesday morning in Tacoma, Washington.

Swift was a prolific singer-songwriter and producer as well as an accomplished musician. In addition to several solo releases, Swift’s resume included a stint as a member of The Shins and touring with The Black Keys, as well as performing with Dan Auerbach’s project The Arcs.

Swift operated his recording facility National Freedom in rural Oregon. His producer credits include records by The Shins, Damien Jurado, Foxygen, Guster, Sharon Van Etten, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and many others.

“Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know,” Auerbach wrote on Instagram. “He’s now with his Mom and Sister. I will miss you my friend.”

Swift was recently revealed to be suffering from a “life-threatening condition.” A GoFundMe page was established to help cover Swift’s medical expensesses.