‘Thriller’ Songwriter Rod Temperton Dies

“His funeral was private,” Platt wrote in an Oct. 5 statement. Temperton, who was referred to as The Invisible Man, was the sole writer of hit songs such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” “Off The Wall” and “Rock With You,” George Benson’s “Give Me The Night”, Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” and his own band Heatwave’s “Always & Forever” and “Boogie Nights,” among many others.

Nile Rodgers, whose band Chic went on its very first tour with Temperton’s Heatwave, tweeted: “My dear Rod, #RIP you will be missed. My heartfelt condolences go out to your family. Always and Forever, Nile Rogers.”