Beloved Singer-Songwriter, Producer & ELO Part II Member Dead at 70

Parthenon Huxley, known for his solo work, producing and collaborating with alternative rock band Eels, and touring with ELO II, died on Jan. 30 at the age of 70.

According to a post on Facebook by his wife, Helle Huxley, he died in his sleep. No cause of death was given.

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“This is Parthenon’s wife, Helle Huxley. I’m so sad to share the heartbreaking news that Parthenon passed away peacefully in his sleep early this morning,” she wrote in the Jan. 30 post.

Born Richard Willett Miller in Baton Rouge, La., Huxley first gained notice in Chapel Hill, N.C. with the single “Buddha, Buddha, Buddha” in 1983. He later moved to Los Angeles after he was signed by Columbia Records, which released his debut album, Sunny Nights, in 1988. His adopted stage name reflected his love of Greek culture (he spent some of his youth in Athens, Greece) and author/philosopher Aldous Huxley.

He later spent time as a staff songwriter for MCA Music Publishing and worked with Mark Oliver Everett, the artist known as E and frontman of Eels, co-producing the albums A Man Called E and Broken Toy Shop, and co-writing the top 10 alternative hit “Goodbye Cruel World.”

Everett posted a tribute to Huxley on the Eels official Instagram account on Jan. 31.

“So sad to hear of the passing of my old friend Parthenon Huxley. He was a big part of my early days in Southern California. The first person I ever met who had put out a record. We wrote songs together and he produced my first album, A Man Called E. We kept in touch over the years and he joined us onstage at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland, one of the last shows of our latest tour, a full-circle moment I’m very grateful for. Parmesan Huntsley, as I knew him (I never could get his name quite right) was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met and we’ve had countless laughs over the years, starting with the endless pile of hilarious cartoons he drew at my expense while making A Man Called E. I already miss him. -E #parthenonhuxley,” he wrote.

In 1998, Huxley was recruited to join ELO Part II, an offshoot of the Electric Light Orchestra formed by original ELO drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan without ELO frontman Jeff Lynne. Huxley toured the world with the group, which was later renamed The Orchestra and continued to record several solo albums, including 2005’s Homemade Spaceship, 2006’s Mile High Fan, and his most recent effort, 2023’s As Good as Advertised.

He also penned an autobiography, Electric Light Odyssey: My Zigzag Life and the Iconic Band that Changed Everything, about his life in the music business.

Huxley is survived by his wife, Helle, and daughters, Fiona and Imogen; his mother, Phyllis; his older brothers, Tim, Tom, and Chuck.

Friends and fans left comments praising Huxley on Helle’s post announcing his death.

“A very great man and songwriter. I listen to his original music almost every day,” wrote one.

“I’m so sorry. He was a huge influence on me as a songwriter,” added another.