Legendary Studio Engineer George Marino Dies of Lung Cancer

You may not know his name, but George Marino has worked on many of the biggest albums over the past five decades. The legendary mastering engineer passed away Monday (June 4) after a year-long battle with lung cancer.

Marino's resume is quite impressive, working on two of the biggest hard rock albums of all time: Metallica's 1991 self-titled disc (aka The Black Album) and Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction.' He also mastered Motley Crue's 'Dr. Feelgood' and Bon Jovi's 'Slippery When Wet,' as well as discs from Ozzy Osbourne, Dio, Anthrax, Danzig, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Dokken, Saxon, Death Angel and more.

In addition, he oversaw the mastering process of albums like the Offspring's 'Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace' and 3 Doors Down's self-titled effort, while digitally remastering or mastering several AC/DC albums.

Marino started working at Sterling Sound in 1973 and was a partner in the industry mainstay the Record Plant. He had started out as a musician himself, playing guitar in several New York City rock bands. Sterling Sound released the following statement upon learning of his death:

“Today Sterling Sound and the music industry as a whole has suffered a tremendous loss. Senior Mastering Engineer George Marino lost his battle with cancer this morning. Words cannot express the sorrow we feel. George was family to us all and we will miss him dearly.”

Most recently, Marino won a Grammy for his work on the Arcade Fire's album 'Suburbs.' See his long list of album credits at allmusic.com, and learn more about his life at Sterling-Sound.com.

Funeral services for Marino will take place this week in New York's Westchester county. For more information, click here.