Renowned British producer Martin Producer, who worked on albums from Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Fleetwood Mac, and Blue Öyster Cult, died on August 9, 2020 at the age of 71. Birch produced eight studio albums from Iron Maiden (dating from 1981 to 1992), Rainbow‘s first three studio albums, Black Sabbath‘s Heaven And Hell and Mob Rules, and seven Whitesnake studio albums between 1978 to 1984.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi took to social media with the following words:

"So shocked to hear the sad news of Martin Birch’s passing. Martin was a lovely guy and a great producer - he produced Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules for Sabbath. He will be deeply missed and my thoughts go out to his family. R.I.P."

Iron Maiden issued the following statement:

"RIP Martin Birch (1948 – 2020)

A man of many nicknames… and simply one of the greatest people we have ever worked with."

Bassist Steve Harris: “He was just absolutely brilliant. He wasn’t just a producer, he was a hands-on engineer too, so he knew how to get a great sound. He was also fantastic at motivating people; he just had a knack of getting the best out of you. He was also a really nice man, great fun with a terrific sense of humour and that made him easy to work with. We all got along with him really well and the whole band is very saddened by today’s news.”

Vocalist Bruce Dickinson: “To me, Martin was a mentor who completely transformed my singing: he was a psychotherapist and in his own words a juggler who could mirror exactly what a band was. That was his special talent as a producer. He was not a puppeteer, he did not manipulate the sound of the band, he just reflected it in the best possible way. Apart from all of that he was a wonderful, warm & funny human being. Martin & I shared a passion for martial arts – he for karate and me for fencing which gave us another bond too. I’m so very sad to hear this news, it’s incredible that he has passed away at such a young age for a man who was so full of life.”

Manager Rod Smallwood: “He was a fantastic guy who always shared a mutual respect with the band. He never, ever, let us down in the studio. He was a true gentleman and he will be hugely missed by everyone in the Maiden Family."