John David “JD” Souther, known for his collaborations with artists such as the Eagles, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, has died. He was 78.
Per a release obtained, Souther died on Tuesday, Sept. 17, “peacefully in his New Mexico home.” No cause of death was listed.
The 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee — who was born in Detroit, Michigan, but raised in Amarillo, Texas — previously had a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle with the Eagles’ Glenn Frey, after they met in Los Angeles in the late ’60s.
Amid his longtime partnership with Frey, Souther went on to work on some of the Eagles’ biggest hits including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town” and “Doolin-Dalton,” as well as co-writing “Heartache Tonight” with Bob Seger, Frey and Don Henley.
JD Souther in 2007.
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Souther’s many collaborations through the years also included working on Bonnie Raitt’s “Run Like a Thief,” as well as multiple songs for his ex Ronstadt, 78, including “Faithless Love” and “White Rhythm and Blues.”
Souther and Ronstadt teamed up for duets such as “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win” and “Hearts Against the Wind” as well, with the latter being featured on the soundtrack for the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. Souther also teamed up with Taylor, 76, on his 1970 hit “Her Town Too.”
In addition to his collaborations, Souther had a solo career, releasing songs such as “You’re Only Lonely” from the 1979 album of the same name. He also formed the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band in the ’70s with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay.
Music aside, Souther starred in shows including Nashville, Thirtysomething and Purgatory, as well as the films Postcards from the Edge, My Girl 2 and Deadline.
JD Souther in Indio, California, on April 18, 2012.
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Rita Wilson was among those paying tribute to Souther on social media, sharing a lengthy caption on Instagram alongside multiple snaps of the pair.
“This one hurts. My dear friend, songwriter and artist, JD Souther, has passed away. JD gave us so much in his music,” Wilson’s message included, listing some of the musician’s hits through the years and noting his “massive” influence on her.
“I cut two of his songs for my first album, Am/Fm, ‘Faithless Love’ (Harmony by Vince Gill) and ‘Prisoner in Disguise,’ which was a bonus track, and on which he sang the harmony,” Wilson, 67, went on. “At Joe’s Pub @joespub he came in and sang with me for my first ever show in NYC.”
“You can imagine what that feels like to sing with one of your hero’s on a song he wrote. One time, he came over for dinner before a show in LA, and lost his wallet, which delayed him for the show. We eventually found it the next day. It made for an exciting start to the show, though!” she continued, revealing that the last time she saw him was at the Jimmy Buffet tribute concert in April.
“He will be greatly missed. But, his music lives on. Rest in Peace and music, sweet JD,” Wilson wrote.
Singer Richard Marx commented on the actress’s post, “Damn it. What a gift he was. 💔,” as John Stamos added, “Oh man. Sorry Rita.”
Souther “is survived by his two sisters, his former wife and her daughter, his beloved dogs Layla and Bob, and by countless friends and colleagues within the music community and beyond,” a release confirmed.
