Former Warner Chappell Australia Managing Director Matthew Capper Passes Away

Matthew Capper, the former Managing Director of Warner Chappell Australia, has passed away following a brief illness.

According to a statement posted by his family on LinkedIn yesterday (19 January), Capper died last week after he suffered a ruptured appendix and sadly couldn’t fight an infection following surgery.

“Dearest Family & Friends,

“It is with the greatest sadness that we inform you of Matthew's passing a week ago,” the statement from Capper’s family reads.

“Matthew had suffered a ruptured appendix and could not fight off the infection after the operation.”

Adding that Capper was a “cherished son, brother, uncle and nephew” who passed away too soon and is “sorely missed,” Capper’s family outlined his love of music.

“Matthew loved music. He'd always hoped to make it big with his own but ended up becoming a part of the industry in a different way,” they wrote.

“He loved it, and he also hated aspects of it. We've heard from reliable sources that he always acted with integrity and tried to be a force for positive change. We never thought we'd have a brother who would be addressing the audience at big music awards ceremonies, but there he was. Perhaps Matthew never guessed he would have been doing it either.”

The statement continued, “He reached some dizzying heights, and he met a lot of people that he greatly respected, even after meeting them. We think he was quietly proud of his achievements. We certainly were. We're also certain he thought he had a lot more work to do. Hopefully others have been inspired by him and can continue that.

“It was his wish that there not be a funeral. Get together with your friends who knew and loved him and celebrate his life.

“We're still coming to terms with this ourselves, and we ask that you respect the family's privacy.

“With our deepest sympathy,

“The Capper Family.”

Capper was the Managing Director of Warner Chappell Australia from 2010 until last February when he was let go due to company-wide downsizing.

Before his time at Warner Chappell, Capper spent time as the Administration Manager at Festival Music Publishing, a former local independent music publishing brand acquired by Mushroom Music. He was also on the boards of APRA, AMCOS, AMPAL and ICMP.