Elton John producer died drink-driving

The music producer who launched Elton John's career was over the legal alcohol limit when he crashed his Jaguar, killing himself and his wife, an inquest heard yesterday.

Gus Dudgeon, 59, from Cobham, Surrey, is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel after a late-night party on 21 July. His car left the M4 motorway near Maidenhead, in Berkshire, at up to 100mph and rolled down an embankment before landing upside down in a storm drain, the inquest heard. Mr Dudgeon and his wife Sheila, 60, suffered serious head injuries but may have drowned in a water-filled drain trapped inside the car.

Mr Dudgeonworked with many of the biggest names in the business, including Joan Armatrading and David Bowie. He oversaw the first recordings by the Rolling Stones and Tom Jones.

The inquest in Windsor heard that he was one-and-a-half times over the legal driving limit, which would have contributed to "drowsiness".

The coroner recorded verdicts of accidental death.