Jack Douglas, Who Produced John Lennon, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and Others, Remembered by Contemporaries

May 13, 2026

Photo via Jack Douglas’ Facebook page

Jack Douglas, the renowned music producer who scored credits for his high-profile work with the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Aerosmith, Patti Smith, and fellow stalwarts Cheap Trick during one of music’s fertile crescents, the 1970s and ’80s, passed away on Monday, May 11, 2026. He was 80 years old.

This producer’s passing was publicized in a post on the deceased’s official Facebook account: “A note from Jack’s family. He passed away peacefully on Monday night. As many of you who follow him know, he produced great music and lived a colorful life. We know that he touched many of your lives; we would love to hear more about that in the comments. He will be missed.”

Douglas’ origin story began with a broom, in a tale tied to his janitorial role at Record Plant studio in New York. Eventually, he rose through the ranks, earning the title of engineer and scoring credits and contributing to projects hosted by Miles Davis, Alice Cooper, James Gang, the Who, before sparking a close bond with Lennon, referenced via Imagine (1971), Double Fantasy (1980), as well as the posthumous Milk and Honey (1984).

From his status as a staff engineer for the label, Douglas took on the title of producer on Lennon’s latter work, and went on to add his touch to Aerosmith’s Get Your Wings (1974), Toys in the Attic (1975), Rocks (1976), and Draw the Line (1977). Douglas later added his stamp to studio efforts by artists as Supertramp, Zebra, Slash, and the aughts return of the New York Dolls.

On the heels of the producer’s passing, musicians and industry contemporaries have offered memories and shared tributes online:

Slash–

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A post shared by Slash (@slash)

In the comment section of Slash’s post, Bruce Springsteen collaborator and Rage Against the Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, wrote: “Produced some of the greatest rock music of all time.”

Patti Smith