J. D. Souther, 78, has passed away at home in New Mexico. He was a singer-songwriter who wrote singles for The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt
At the age of 78, singer-songwriter J.D. Souther passed away.
According to a representative for the Eagles informed the Los Angeles Times, the Detroit-born musician, who wrote country-rock tunes for well-known artists like the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, passed yesterday at his New Mexico home.
According to the site, Souther’s cause of death and exact date of passing were not immediately known.Next week in Phoenix, Souther, who wrote Eagles classics including 1976’s New Kid in Town and 1979’s Heartache Tonight, as well as Ronstadt’s 1974 hit Faithless Love, was supposed to start touring.
James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, and Souther himself had written songs for these performers in addition to having a hit song in 1979 with You’re Only Lonely.
Souther had also been an actor, with roles in films including Postcards From the Edge, Deadline, and My Girl 2, as well as television series like Nashville and Thirtysomething.
Earlier this year, Souther—a 2013 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and two-time Grammy nominee—took the stage during a performance at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.Don Henley had praised Souther at the event, reported the tabloid, calling him a part of the ‘tightknit group of songwriters and singers.’
In the 1970s, Henley described, he and late bandmate Glenn Frey would turn to ‘when we would get stuck on a song or we’d try to start some new material’.
Three of the band’s number one hits were produced in part by Souther, according to Henley.The article stated that Souther was raised in Amarillo, Texas, despite being born in Detroit.
Souther started out as a jazz drummer before picking up the guitar and moving to Los Angeles in the late 1960s.
He met Frye there, and the two started playing together under the stage name Longbranch Pennywhistle. They recorded an album of the same name in 1969 before calling it quits in 1970.
In addition to starting her solo career, Souther dated Ronstadt, for whom Frey provided backup vocals.
Henley, guitarist Bernie Leadon, and bassist Randy Meisner—who would later join the Eagles—joined Ronstadt’s band after a quarter split off to establish the group.
In 2008, Souther revealed to the newspaper that he was «sort of» approached to join the band by music billionaire David Geffen, who owned the Asylum label at the time.
«I thought about it, and one afternoon at the Troubadour, we practiced a set and performed it for David and Eagles managers Elliot Roberts and Ron Stone,» Souther stated to the newspaper.
«To be honest, it took me a minute afterward to say, no, the band was great as it was, and I was happy to stay home and write,» he continued. They were probably relieved as well.
In 1973, Souther started playing with Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. This group put out two country-rock albums: Trouble in Paradise (1975) and their self-titled first album (1974).
As a solo performer, Souther released albums including You’re Only Lonely in 1979 and Black Rose in 1976. Souther’s largest commercial success came from the record’s title track, which peaked at number one on its adult-contemporary chart and number seven on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Souther claimed that he became disillusioned with the music industry’s concentration on MTV and videos during the decade and slowed down his work after the publication of his 1984 album Home by Dawn.
In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, he stated, «I wasn’t a huge fan of music videos because I thought they encouraged an excess of production as opposed to a real focus on the heart of the music.»
In 1989, Souther made his acting debut in Steven Spielberg’s film Always, and he also helped Henley write the smash song The Heart of the Matter.
According to his website, Souther had been scheduled to appear on twelve performance dates through April of next year, indicating that he had continued to be active professionally in his latter years.
He was scheduled to perform with 72-year-old singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff in Phoenix on Tuesday. He also booked gigs in California, Washington, Oklahoma, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
As soon as word of the late musician-actor’s passing emerged, tributes to him swamped social media. Two-time Grammy nominee Stephen Bishop wrote on X/Twitter, expressing his tremendous sadness upon hearing of the death of his buddy JD Souther. Though JD and I have a lot of memories together, one in particular sticks out: in the 1980s, we co-wrote the song For Love.
Bishop went on, «We did a demo, even though we never finished the song, and I’ll always treasure that partnership.» JD was an amazing musician who made incalculable contributions to music. Though he will be greatly missed, everyone who knew and loved him will always remember him and his legacy.
Finally, he said, «Rest in peace, my friend.» Even though J.D. Souther was not a formal member of the Eagles, another user posted, «RIP J.D.» He had an incalculable effect on the Eagles’ triumph. A real legend that not many people are aware of!
One person posted, «J.D. Souther has passed away.» RIP, Sir. The world will continue to hear your songs.
Oh, man! commented another user. It’s JD Souther’s death. My gosh, what a mess. Faithless Love, which appears on Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like A Wheel album, is one of his numerous hits that my generation enjoyed singing along to. Beautiful. His melodies. Whoa!
A user described Souther as «a brilliant songwriter, as well as an exceptional singer,» and said of his song «You’re Only Lonely» that it is a magnificent creation with hauntingly lovely lyrics and a tune that stirs the emotions.
One Souther user said, «What a talent—and such a voice.» I hope you continue singing in some amazing club somewhere in the cosmos. I appreciate all of the tunes.
According to the publication, Souther is survived by two sisters, her daughter, and her ex-wife.
