John David “JD” Souther, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who was known for co-writing hits with the Eagles, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has died at the age of 78.
The singer-songwriter died peacefully at home in New Mexico, according to representatives from Solters PR. A cause of death was not given.
Souther was born on November 2, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Amarillo, Texas. After moving to Los Angeles, California, in the late ’60s, he entered into a long-term partnership with Glenn Frey of the Eagles. The duo briefly formed a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle, which released a single eponymous album for Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records in 1970.
During the 1970s, Souther collaborated on several Eagles songs, including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid In Town,” and “Doolin-Dalton.” He co-wrote “Heartache Tonight” with Frey, Bob Seger, and Don Henley, which the Eagles recorded and released in 1979, the group’s last song to reach number 100.
As a successful solo artist, Souther recorded his eponymous debut in 1972 before forming the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay. In 1976 he released a second solo album, Black Rosewhich was produced by Peter Asher and included a duet with his then-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, “If You Have Crying Eyes.” His two biggest solo hits included the 1979 single “You’re Only Lonely,” which reached number seven on the Hot 100, and the 1981 duet “Her Town Too” with Taylor.
The prolific songwriter also wrote “Run Like a Thief” for Bonnie Raitt’s 1975 album. Home Plateand several songs for Ronstadt, including “Faithless Love” and “White Rhythm and Blues.” Souther also recorded several duets with Ronstadt, including “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win,” and “Hearts Against the Wind,” the latter of which was part of the 1980 film Urban Cowboy.
As an actor, Souther also appeared in television shows Mid-thirties, NashvilleAnd purgatory as well as the films Postcards from the edge, My Girl 2, And Deadline.
The versatile artist was scheduled to embark on a New Year’s tour with Karla Bonoff this month, but the tour was canceled.
When he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, Souther was called “one of the primary architects of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters.”
In a 2016 interview with PBS, Souther said that “any career in the arts requires a lot of timing” and described himself as “lucky.”
“If I really had the choice, I would go to the beach, stay in Aspen for the extra two weeks and ski, or just hang out on my farm with my dogs,” he said, reflecting on his career. “I work because I love my work, but I don’t love it more than my life.”
When asked why there is a big gap between 1984 and At home with Dawn And If the world were you In 2008, Souther responded: “I said, ‘I’m going to get off the rat race for a while and just see what life is like when it’s not write, record, tour, write, record, tour, write, record, tour, promote.’ And honestly, I really had a pretty blissful 12, 14, 20 years.”
After his break, the singer-songwriter released four more albums. Looking back on his return, Souther said: “I fell in love with the work again, and that’s always the key.”
