Gus Dudgeon, 57; Record Producer Aided Elton John

Gus Dudgeon, the British record producer whose imaginative work played a central role in most of Elton John’s hit albums and singles of the 1970s, has died. He was 59.

Dudgeon and his wife, Sheila, were killed July 21 in England when their car veered off the road on their way home from a 50th birthday party for a musician in another band that Dudgeon had worked with in the ‘70s.

John had teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and had made one album, “Empty Sky,” with another producer, but it wasn’t until they brought Dudgeon aboard for the 1970 album “Elton John” and the single “Your Song” that John had his worldwide commercial breakthrough.

Dudgeon was an essential part of John’s team on a dozen albums, seven of which reached No. 1 in the U.S. He oversaw the recording of such Top 10 singles as “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” helping make John the most successful singles artist of the 1970s, and No. 2 on the album charts behind Elvis Presley.

By coincidence or not, after parting with Dudgeon to work with other producers, John didn’t score another Top 10 album for 16 years.

John said he was devastated over the death of Dudgeon, whom he described as “an incredibly talented producer and a very dear friend.”

Before teaming up with John, Dudgeon had worked in the 1960s as an engineer for several major British acts of that decade, including the Rolling Stones, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers when Eric Clapton was a member, Marianne Faithfull and the Moody Blues.

He also produced David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in 1969, a song that didn’t become a hit until it was re-released in 1973, but was the record that John credited with inspiring him to seek out Dudgeon to produce his own recordings.

Dudgeon also produced tracks or albums by Ten Years After, Joan Armatrading, XTC and the Bonzo Dog Band, and John’s version of “Pinball Wizard” for the 1975 film version of the Who’s rock opera “Tommy.”

One of his most unusual projects as producer was “I’m the Only Hell Mama Ever Raised,” a 1977 album collaboration between country singers George Jones and Johnny Paycheck, on which John and most of his regular band provided instrumental backing.

Most recently, Dudgeon had been working with British band Slinky on a tribute to the comic Bonzo Dog Band.

Born in Surrey, England, Dudgeon started his career as an in-house engineer at Decca Records.

A memorial is planned for September.