Tom Coyne, Grammy-winning music engineer for Adele and Beyoncé, dies at 62

Tom Coyne, Grammy-winning audio engineer
Tom Coyne, Grammy-winning audio engineer
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Tom Coyne,  a six-time Grammy-winning music engineer who worked on hit recordings by Adele, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and many others, died on Wednesday. He was 62.

Coyne passed away after a long battle with multiple myeloma, according to the Doyle Funeral Home in Morristown.

Visitation hours are 4 to 8 pm on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at 106 Maple Ave. A funeral Mass is scheduled across the street, on Wednesday at 10 am, at the Church of the Assumption, where he was a longtime parishioner.

Coyne won a Grammy earlier this year for Adele’s Hello. He also won Grammys for Album of the Year and/or Record of the Year with Mars, Taylor Swift, Mark Ronson and Sam Smith. Additionally, he won a Latin GRAMMY for Record of the Year with Marc Anthony.

“The artist is looking for a certain sound, a certain character in their song,”  Coyne told The Star-Ledger last year, “and it’s our job to make sure that’s translated from when it left mixing to when it goes into the public’s hands.”

Questlove cited Coyne’s patience and creativity.

“Man this hurts… His ears were bar none THE BEST…This guy was the pair of ears we trusted to bring the music to you,” Questlove said on his Instagram page.

“Much love to his family and his children. For…at least 20 albums I’ve driven you crazy & learned so much about how people hear music (tip: most of the time we’d use a cheap clock radio speaker because if it sounds great on Horrible equipment then imagine how it bumps elsewhere!) thank you for all the lessons you’ve taught me Tom Coyne!!!! Music Will Never Be The Same Again.”

Neil Portnow, Recording Academy president and CEO, told Grammy.com:

“Tom Coyne was a universally respected mastering engineer and was considered one of the most influential and trusted ears in music. His expertise brought an important finishing touch to the works of many icons such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, the Weeknd, and many others throughout his career.”

Those others included Justin Bieber, Kool & The Gang, Metallica, A Tribe Called Quest, R. Kelly, Digable Planets, the Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Buddy Guy, Britney Spears, Erykah Badu, and Keith Urban.

Born in Elizabeth and raised in Union, Coyne graduated from Roselle Catholic High School and earned a B.A. from Kean University.

He began his career in the early 1970s at Frankford-Wayne Mastering Studios in New York, then spent five years at the Hit Factory. In 1994 he moved to Sterling Sound, where he became a partner four years later.

Coyne was an active member of the Fathers’ Club at Seton Hall Prep, and could be found golfing at the Knoll Country Club in Parsippany “on any weekend there wasn’t snow on the ground,” according to his obituary.

He enjoyed travel adventures with family and friends, and probably was “best known for his wonderful sense of humor even in the face of adversity. He liked nothing more than to spend time with his family and good friends, laughing and enjoying a great meal,” the obituary said.

Coyne was predeceased by his father, Martin J. Coyne, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Mary-Kay; his daughter, Briana, and son, Dillon, both of Morris Township; his mother, Margaret LaPenta of Vero Beach, Fla.; his sisters Nancy Coyne of Camden, Maine and Kathleen Coyne of San Diego, Calif.; and his brother, Timothy Coyne of Parsippany.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Tom Coyne Multiple Myeloma Research Fund under the direction of Dr. Paul Richardson at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Contributions in Tom’s memory will advance research and improve care for patients facing multiple myeloma. By mail: Dana-Farber, Attn: Elizabeth Morgan, 10 Brookline Place, Brookline, MA 024455 or https://www.myjimmyfundpage.org/give/thomascoyne .

 

 

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