Country music producer Bill Langstroth dies at 81
A longtime producer in Canada's country music scene has died.
Bill Langstroth was best known for his work as a performer and producer on the CBC program Singalong Jubilee.
Langstroth was raised in Montreal.
He married Nova Scotian singer Anne Murray in 1975. They had two children together, William and Dawn, before their divorce decades later.
Langstroth later remarried. He leaves behind his wife, Fran.
Langstroth died Wednesday afternoon in a Moncton hospital, said his friend Ron MacNutt. Langstroth just moved to Sackville, New Brunswick in December, he said.
"He was always a very jolly fellow and looking at the positive side of things," said MacNutt.
MacNutt last saw Langstroth a month ago. The two were back in the studio, working on a project together.
"He just slipped right back into the producer roll and was very much at home doing that," he said. "We called him the grumpy guy because, of course, that was part of the producer's role."
MacNutt said Langstroth was often seen in the studio with a clipboard and stopwatch in hand.
"Anyone that has met Bill will understand when I say this – the twinkle in his eye and natural curiosity was really his zest for life."
In 2011, he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of fame.
Wright, Langstroth join country music hall of fame
On its website, the CCMA described Langstroth as "one of the country’s first and best industry leaders.”
Langstroth was 81 years old.
