Talay Riley, the songwriter behind credits for Britney Spears, Dua Lipa and H.E.R., died last week after a stabbing in East London. He was 35. Police said he was found with stab wounds in a garden around 9 a.m. local time on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The killing has put a sudden end to a career that reached from British rap and pop into award-winning R&B. Riley, whose real name was Mark "Yinka" Orabiyi, was part of songs that helped define major releases including Dua Lipa’s 2016 single "Last Dance," Khalid’s "Young Dumb & Broke" and H.E.R.’s "Lights On," which earned him a Grammy when it appeared on her 2017 self-titled effort. That album won Best R&B Album at the 61st Grammys.

For readers searching Britney Spears now, Riley’s name turns up because he also wrote for her on "Clumsy," alongside work for Jessie J, Jason Derulo and Nick Jonas. His reach was wider than a single hit: he broke through in 2009 through collaborations with Chip, co-wrote and featured on songs from Chipmunk’s debut album I Am Chipmunk, and later released his own mixtape, Going to California, in 2011. More recently, he contributed to Paloma Faith’s The Glorification of Sadness in 2024, Kelela’s In the Blue Light in 2025 and Kehlani’s self-titled LP, while also working closely with the British girl group Flo.

In a tribute shared on Instagram, Riley’s family and manager, Cleo Amedume, remembered him as a Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling songwriter and artist with humor, generosity and a presence that stood out. His brother, Michael Orabiyi, posted his own tribute under the name Scribz Riley and said Riley had "one of the purest hearts" he had ever known. That public grief has run alongside a police investigation that is still moving.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of killing Orabiyi, but one was released on bail pending further inquiries and the other two were released with no further action taken. A detective with London's Metropolitan Police said the case continues at pace, and investigators have not said what led to the stabbing or how the attack unfolded. A second victim, a man in his 20s, was also injured, but his wounds were not considered life-threatening.

What remains now is not who Riley was — his credits already answer that — but why a writer whose work had touched so much of modern pop ended up dead in a garden in East London, and whether police can explain that before the case fades from view.