Barbra Streisand took to social media over the holiday season to share a personal tribute to late music producer Richard Perry, who passed away on Christmas eve at the age of 82.
Perry suffered a cardiac arrest while in a hospital in Los Angeles, and was reportedly also battling Parkinson's disease towards the end of his life.
He helped produce two of Barbra's albums, Stoney End and Barbra Joan Streisand (both 1971), and the singer-songwriter, 82, shared a message mourning his loss.
Alongside a photo of theirs from one of their studio sessions, she penned: "Richard had an uncanny ability to pick the hits, and most important to me, a wonderful sense of humor. We had such fun in the studio…and we became really good life-long friends."
Barbra continued: "We worked together on two albums, Stoney End and Barbra Joan Streisand, where he encouraged me to record contemporary songs. It was exciting to explore that kind of material with him."
"By the way, Richard thought Laura Nyro's 'Stoney End' would be a hit for me, and I thought he was nuts! I was so happy to be proven wrong!" The song ended up becoming Barbra's second ever top 10 hit in the United States and kicked off an even more illustrious recording career.
"He was a truly special person and I'm so grateful our paths crossed. Rest in musical peace Richard," she concluded, with her fans reaching out with messages of condolence and support.
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Perry was known for producing some of the biggest hits of the 1970s and '80s and worked with many of the most notable artists of the time, including Diana Ross, Harry Nilsson, Art Garfunkel, Martha Reeves, Ringo Starr and Fanny.
© Getty ImagesHe produced 30 top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including several number ones. In 1978, he launched his own record label, Planet Records, which was best known for launching the Pointer Sisters to stardom and netting him several Grammy nominations as well. His best remembered hit remains Carly Simon's chart-topping "You're So Vain."
Perry continued producing work for the likes of Barbra, Julio Iglesias, Donna Summer, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles and Rod Stewart decades into his career, with his last credit coming in 2011 as a producer on the cast recording of the Broadway production of Baby It's You!.
© Getty ImagesRod shared a statement on social media mourning his friend's loss as well, writing: "Dearest Richard, farewell, my dear buddy. They say in life a man is lucky if he can count his true friends on one hand, and you were certainly one of them."
"Now I've lost you, and I'm devastated. We played and worked so closely together for so many years, creating some of the most memorable music together. You were there when Penny and I first started dating, encouraging our relationship. We are both in tears as I post this farewell."
He married actress Rebecca Broussard in 1987, although they were only together for a year and did not welcome any children together. However, his most notable relationship was with Jane Fonda, which lasted from 2009 until 2017.
