John David “JD” Souther, the Songwriters Hall of Fame artist known for co-writing hits with the Eagles, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has died at the age of 78.
A Salters PR representative said the singer-songwriter died peacefully at his home in New Mexico. No cause of death was released.
Souther was born in Detroit, Michigan on November 2, 1945, and grew up in Amarillo, Texas. After moving to Los Angeles, California in the late ’60s, he became a long-time partner with Glenn Frey of the Eagles. The two briefly formed a band called Long Branch Pennywhistle, which released one album of the same name in 1970 on Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records.
Throughout the ’70s, Souther collaborated with the Eagles on several songs, including “The Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town” and “Dolin’ Dalton.” He later co-wrote “Heartache Tonight” with Furay, Bob Seger and Don Henley, which the Eagles recorded and released in 1979, becoming the group’s final song to top the Hot 100.
As a successful solo artist, Souther recorded his self-titled debut in 1972 and later formed the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with former Byrds members Chris Hillman and Richie Furay of Poco. In 1976, he released his second solo album, Black Rose, produced by Peter Asher, which featured a duet with then-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, “If You Have Crying Eyes”. His two biggest solo hits were the 1979 single “You’re Only Lonely”, which reached number seven on the Hot 100, and the 1981 duet with Taylor, “Her Town Too”.
A prolific songwriter, Souther wrote several songs for Bonnie Raitt, including “Run Like a Thief” for her 1975 album Home Plate, as well as “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 featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy.
As an actor, Souther has also appeared in the TV shows “Thirtysomething,” “Nashville,” and “Purgatory,” as well as the films “Postcards from the Edge,” “My Girl 2” and “Deadline.”
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The multi-talented artist was due to hit the road with Karla Bonoff this month and into the new year, but the trip has now been cancelled.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, Souther was recognized as “a pioneering creator of the Southern California sound and a major influence on songwriters of his generation.”
In a 2016 interview with PBS, Souther said “timing is important in any career in the arts” and called himself “fortunate.”
“If I really had a choice, I’d go to the beach, or go to Aspen for two weeks to ski, or chill 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 my work more than I love life.”
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When asked why there was such a large gap between 1984’s Home by Dawn and 2008’s If the World Was You, Souther replied, “I thought, ‘Let’s get off the hamster wheel for a while and see what life is like outside of writing songs, recording, touring, writing songs, recording, touring, writing songs, recording, touring, promoting.’ And quite frankly, it’s been 12, 14, 20 years of sheer bliss.”
Since his hiatus, the singer-songwriter has released four more albums. Reflecting on his return, Souther adds, “I fell in love with my work again, which is always key.”
