JD Souther, the man who co-wrote hit songs for James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and his pals in the Eagles, died Tuesday at age 78.
Souther, whose given name was John David, died peacefully at his home in New Mexico, according to a statement on his website. His death was clearly unexpected, as he was scheduled to start a tour with Karla Bonoff on Sept. 24 in Phoenix.
“JD gave us so much in his music,” actress Rita Wilson wrote on social media Wednesday. “He will be greatly missed. But his music lives on. Rest in Peace and music, sweet JD.”
Though Souther’s career as a solo artist peaked at No. 7 on the charts with 1979’s “You’re Only Lonely,” he helped pen some of the Eagles’ many hits. His work included “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight.”
Souther was also at the heart of the musical social scene in Southern California in the 1970s and 80s, dating and writing songs with Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell.
But Souther said he had no regrets about not setting off on his own globetrotting tour one day.
“There was definitely a period of time where people would occasionally say to me, ‘Doesn’t it piss you off that the Eagles have these big hits off your songs?‘” he told The Creative Independent in 2019. “I would usually start saying, ‘Would you like to see the checks?’”
Souther was close friends with Eagles members Glenn Frey and Don Henley, and was one of the first people Frey met when he moved to Los Angeles. He was pictured on the back of the band’s 1973 album “Desperado,” reenacting the capture of the Dalton Gang.
“Even Glenn Frey once said… ‘One of the reasons JD didn’t have a bigger solo career is because he gave us or Linda Ronstadt most of his best songs,’” Souther said in 2019. “And that’s sort of true.”
He also collaborated with other world-renowned musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, Roy Orbison, George Strait, Brian Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, The Chicks, and Crosby, Stills & Nash — just to name a few.
Souther was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
He also occasionally worked as an actor, most recently being cast as a guest star on ABC’s hit show “Nashville” as a legendary songwriter and producer.
With News Wire Services
