Musicians pay tribute to Sophie, producer who worked with Madonna, Charli XCX

Producer and electronic musician Sophie (whose last name was Xeon) died on Saturday morning. Following the announcement of her death, artists and others from all around the music world paid tribute to the alternative pop icon.

The Scottish musician’s death was announced in a tweet by her labels Transgressive and Future Classic. As previously reported, she died around 4 a.m. in Athens, Greece. She was 34 years old.

“Tragically our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident. True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with us. The family thank everyone for their love and support and request privacy at this devastating time,” said a statement from both labels.

Sophie’s earliest solo release under her own name was the 2013 single “Nothing More to Say.” In 2015, she experienced mainstream success by collaborating with pop star Charli XCX, whom she would collaborate with on numerous songs. Her most notable collaborations with Charli XCX include “Vroom Vroom” and “Out of My Head.”

Sophie would bring her outsider brand of avant-garde pop to a number of mainstream artists, collaborating with rapper Vince Staples on a pair of songs from his Big Fish Theory album and co-writing and co-producing Madonna’s 2015 song “B***h, I’m Madonna.” Sophie released her debut studio album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides in 2018 to much critical acclaim. The album was nominated for the Grammy award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

With the sudden news of Sophie’s death, a number of musicians across the pop music world paid tribute to her. Singer-songwriter Finneas (Billie Eilish’s brother), pop star Sam Smith, producer Flying Lotus and hyperpop musician Slayyyter among others tweeted condolences, noting the producer’s inventive style.

“The world has lost an angel. A true visionary and icon of our generation. Your light will continue to inspire so many for generations to come,” Smith wrote.

Musicians shared photos and memories of collaborating with Sophie. Producer and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers and indie pop star Shamir both showed photos of themselves with the producer. Fellow experimental pop artist Rina Sawayama shared a group photo with both of them backstage during a London concert.

Artists from other mediums also paid tribute to the electronic visionary. Writer Hanif Abdurraqib and Tony-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris both tweeted about the artist’s loss. “An iconoclast who made new worlds with her music. I spent this week inspired by Sophie writing a film script i got from a pitch WHERE I BLASTED SOPHIE ON THE WB lot! Her music dared me to be unabashed,” Harris wrote.