Forever in our hearts. Gwen Stefani took to Instagram to pay tribute to her friend Michael James Ryan, known professionally as “Busbee,” after his untimely death. The Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter died at the age of 43 on Sunday, September 29.

“I loved him so much! One of my favorite humans I’ve ever come to know in this life — we wrote some of my favorite music I’ve ever written — he was truly the definition of a good human — living his life sharing his gift w all of us — full of love talent and faith 🙏🏻,” the 49-year-old wrote on Monday, September 30. Busbee worked with major artists in the game include Gwen’s boyfriend Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Shakira and Pink.

Gwen went on to nod Blake, 43, for her friendship with the producer adding, “Beyond broken today. Shattered. @blakeshelton thank you for introducing me to this legend we are going to miss our friend. See you up there Busbee. #Genius #ILOVEUANDUKNOWIT 🙏🏻 Gx .”

Blake also took to social media to share his heartbreak. “I absolutely can’t accept the loss of mine and Gwen’s friend Michael (Busbee),” he wrote on Twitter on Sunday, September 30. “Too much to say for social media. Too much pain and unfairness, period. I guess sometimes you gotta dig extra EXTRA deep for peace to continue to have faith. And I will because Michael ALWAYS had faith.”

The music legend reportedly was diagnosed with Glioblastoma — a form of brain cancer, according to Variety. He had just recently learned of his condition this past summer. Busbee had been an inspiration to many in the music industry. Just a few years ago, he shared some of his insights with the world. “Put your head down and play the long game,” he told The Tennessean in 2017. “It’s a very competitive world, and if you get too caught up in what other people are doing, or what opportunities certain people are getting, it’s just going to drive you crazy. There’s enough success for everybody.”

Busbee is survived by his wife and three children, including his newborn daughter. Our thoughts are prayers and with his family and friends during this tough time.

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