Owner of the (in)famous Sound City Studios in California, Tom Skeeter, has passed away.
Billboard reports that a message confirming Skeeter's death appeared on the studio's Facebook page this week, although the cause of death has yet to be revealed. "We lost our main man, Tommy Skeeter this week," the post reads. "Grateful our Sound City Movie pals for introducing him to all of you. Thank you to all of the people who have stopped by the office to meet Tom in the past few years-- he enjoyed the visits, and loved hearing how far people had come."
The studio opened its doors in 1969, and Neil Young recorded his third album, After The Gold Rush, there. Sound City also hosted Charles Manson, who recorded a few songs a few months before the infamous Manson Family murders, in the same year.
An impressive array of talent recorded at Sound City over the years, including Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Foreigner, Ronnie James Dio, The Black Crowes, Weezer, Johnny Cash, Metallica and Nirvana. Former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl made a documentary in 2013 titled Sound City that brought the studio's rich history to the mainstream. The doc featured interviews with artists who recorded at the studio and revered it for its unique sound.
Rick Springfield, who also recorded at Sound City, wrote about his experience at the studio shortly after the news of Skeeter's passing. "Tom was a southern gentleman who, along with Joe Gottfried took me under their collective wing at Sound City in 1976 and allowed me the freedom to write and record at their magic studio," Springfield wrote in a statement to Billboard. "Tom was one of the good guys."
