Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas dies aged 80
His family have confirmed
Last updated 13th May 2026
Esteemed rock producer and engineer Jack Douglas, who worked with acts including Aerosmith, John Lennon and Cheap Trick, has died aged 80.
Douglas' daughter Sarah confirmed his death in a statement to Rolling Stone, saying: "He most enjoyed being with his family - his wife, his four children and five grandchildren - and he died peacefully, with us surrounding him.
"He lived an incredible life and was an amazing storyteller. He was very, very funny and goofy and loved to tell jokes. He loved what he did, and he worked til the very end. We will miss him a lot."
Born in the Bronx, New York City on 6th November 1945, Douglas trained at the Institute of Audio Research, however his first job was as a janitor at the Record Plant studios.
He worked his way to the recording desk and engineered music by Alice Cooper, Montrose, Blue Öyster Cult, New York Dolls and Mountain to name but a few.
After working with The Who on their abandoned science fiction rock opera 'Lifehouse', Douglas engineered John Lennon’s second solo album ‘Imagine’, and he continued working with the former Beatle until his assassination in 1980.
Alongside his work with John Lennon, Douglas is perhaps best-known for producing and engineering four hugely successful Aerosmith albums in the 1970s – ‘Get Your Wings’, ‘Toys in the Attic’, ‘Rocks’ and ‘Draw the Line’.
Dubbed the “sixth member of Aerosmith”, he later worked on the band’s 1982 album ‘Rock in a Hard Place’ and on several of Joe Perry’s solo albums.
Douglas also worked on Cheap Trick’s debut album and their landmark ‘Cheap Trick at Budokan’ live album.