Lyle Michaels, one of the best pianists alive, has died.
The 78-year-old performer, whose music has been performed on many recordings by artists including Madonna, The Smiths, Madonna, and many others, died Friday at his home in South Bend, Ind.
He was 87.
Michaels was the third person to perform with Madonna on the “Madonna: Live” album, after her sister Madonna and her husband David Selig, the legendary pianist.
Michaels’ final concert was at the 2013 Grammy Awards, where he performed “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Piano Concerto No. 4 in D Minor.”
Michaels also performed on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Michaels played the piano in more than 100 concerts and recorded more than 2,000 albums, mostly for Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
He won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1979 and the National Medal of Arts in 1986.
He also won the Grammy for best classical soloist in 1985.
Michaels died in his home after suffering a heart attack.
He had been hospitalized in the past few days, according to his wife, Marissa Michaels.
He suffered from congestive heart failure, a condition in which a person’s heart attacks, according the American Heart Association, are due to inflammation of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart.
Michaels, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., had been on medication for congestive chest disease, according a statement from the National Institutes of Health.
He died on his way to work Friday morning.
In the 1950s and ’60s, Michaels played on numerous recordings by the likes of Thelonious Monk, Joe Pass and George Martin.
He recorded “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” on his Sony/Columbia records, and he played on the albums of The Who, the Byrds, The Rolling Stones, and The Doors.
In addition to recording with artists such as The Who and The Rolling Band, he played in the band “The Mothers of Invention” and the rock group “The Monkees.”
In 1978, Michaels won the prestigious Grammy for Best Classical Soloist for “Symphony No. 1 in D Major.”
He won five Grammy Awards and a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1991.
In 2006, Michaels was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is a step above the National Music Hall of Honor, the Grammy’s highest honor.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Marisa, and his daughter, Lyle.
Michaels performed for the public at several venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, the Whitney Museum of American Art in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Museum in Paris, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the MetLife Stadium in Newark, N.J., and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
He played at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Michaels won two Grammy Awards in the 1950 and ’61 decades for “The Greatest Hits” of “The Beatles.”
He also played on The Beatles’ 1966 album, “Hey Jude.”
The pianist died on the spot at his apartment building in South Beach, Ind, about 100 miles north of Indianapolis.
His death was announced Friday by the family, who said in a statement that his death “is a tremendous loss to the world, especially to the family of Lyle.”
Michaels had a long and distinguished career in music.
He earned a doctorate in music at Indiana University in Indianapolis in 1958, and a doctorates in music from the University of Chicago and the University at Albany.
In 1960, he received a doctoral degree in piano from the School of Music of the University Of California at Santa Barbara.
He moved to Los Angeles to work as a piano teacher in the late 1950s.
He worked with the likes (including Thelonius Monk) and the Rolling Stones and with the Beatles.
In 1974, he joined the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and later the San Francisco Symphony.
In 1978 he joined The Who as a singer, bassist, and conductor.
He joined The Doors in 1982.
He performed with The Beatles, The Monkees, and the Smiths and toured extensively, including with The Rolling Stone, The Village Vanguard, and others.
Michaels also worked with The Who on their live albums, including “Pianos in B Minor.”
