Arif Mardin 1932-2006

New York, NY (Atlantic Records) - Arif Mardin, a longtime member of the Atlantic Records family, passed away this weekend after a long illness. For more than 40 years, Arif was one of music's most prolific producers and one of its most well-liked personalities.

Born in 1932 in Istanbul, Turkey, Arif graduated from the Berklee College of Music as the first recipient of the Quincy Jones Scholarship. He began his music career in 1963 at Atlantic Records.

Working first as an assistant to Nesuhi Ertegun, Arif worked his way up at Atlantic, eventually becoming a senior vice president and building an incredible artistic legacy through his work with Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler.

During his career, Arif earned more than 40 gold and platinum albums, 15 Grammy nominations and 12 Grammy awards. He worked with an impressive list of artists in a variety of genres including: Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack, Hall & Oates, Jewel, Patti LaBelle, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr and Barbra Streisand, among others.

In 2001, Arif retired from Atlantic and went on to reactivate the Manhattan Records label where he received well-deserved acclaim for his work with Norah Jones.

Atlantic Founding Chairman Ahmet Ertegun said:
"The death of Arif Mardin leaves a void in all of his friends, the many artists whom he produced, his colleagues in the music business, and the countless musicians and composers with whom he collaborated... a void which will not be filled.

Arif was that rare producer who was equally at home with his first love, jazz, and with the various other forms of American music - rock and roll, rhythm & blues, and pop - and who was equally successful in all of these diverse areas. From his early successes with Aretha Franklin through his recent work with Norah Jones, Arif has been one of the foremost creators of great hits and molders of great artists.

Arif was known for his gentle manner, his keen perception of the particular and unique talents of a wide diversity of artists, and his ability to create magic in the studio. He was a proud Istanbul gentleman, a black sheep of a great aristocratic family, a follower of Ataturk's vision of a Turkish secular society, and an inspiration to Turkish artists and musicians, as well as to all the artists with whom he worked.

He was my dear friend, an incorruptible man of high ideals, a loving husband and father, and someone who, through his music, will live on."