Madonna has paid tribute to William Orbit, the producer behind her acclaimed 1998 album Ray of Light, following his death on 23 July. In an emotional Instagram post, she credited him with reshaping her creative outlook, saying he taught her that music "did not have to fit into categories or genres" and describing him as having given her "a magic carpet to fly on."

Madonna recalled the collaborative sessions as almost spiritual, writing that the studio "was often church like" as she waited for Orbit's ideas to emerge from his keyboard or guitar. Ray of Light, her seventh studio album, went on to win four Grammy Awards and six MTV Video Music Awards; she also shared archive footage of the pair accepting an award together, in which she credited Orbit's "vision and brilliance" for making the record possible. She signed off the tribute, "Goodbye Billy Bubbles."