JD Souther, Famed Songwriter, Eagles and Linda Ronstadt Collaborator, Dies at 78

JD Souther, the singer and songwriter who co-wrote songs with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, has died. He was 78.

Souther died peacefully at his home in New Mexico, according to his rep. No cause of death was given. He was about to embark on a tour with Karla Bonoff.

Souther, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, was responsible for some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, including the songs “Best of My Love”, “Victim of Love”, “Heartache Tonight”, and “New Kid in Town”. “How Long.” With Ronstadt, he wrote and duetted on the classic songs “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win” and “Hearts Against the Wind.” He also enjoyed a successful solo career and penned the hit songs “You’re Only Lonely” and “Her Town Too,” the latter a duet with Taylor.

Born John David Souther on Nov. 2, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, he was raised in Amarillo, Texas. He started playing music in the local Amarillo scene, and his first band was The Cinders, who released a single under the name John David and The Cinders in 1965.

Souther moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s where he would meet and befriend Glenn Frey. Souther and Frey would become roommates and musical collaborators and would form the country rock band Longbranch Pennywhistle, which originally performed under the name John David & Glenn, before other members joined the group. Longbranch Pennywhistle released a self-titled album in 1969 under Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records label.

The friendship with Frey would see Souther become part of a circle of friends and creative collaborators that included Don Henley and Linda Ronstadt, and he suggested as a possible member of the Eagles. Although he never did join the band, Souther worked closely with the Eagles and co-wrote some of their most famous songs. From the 26 times platinum-selling Eagles album Hotel California, Souther co-wrote the songs “New Kid in Town” and “Victim of Love.” On the 1974 album On the Border, Souther co-wrote “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” “Best of My Love” and “James Dean.” And on the 1979 album The Long Run, Souther co-wrote three songs, including the No.1 single “Heartache Tonight.”

In the early 1970s, Souther was dating the singer Linda Ronstadt, and he co-wrote a number of songs for her and as well co-producing her 1973 album Don’t Cry Now. For Ronstadt’s followup album, Heart Like a Wheel, Souther wrote the song “Faithless Love.” He duetted with Ronstadt many times, including the songs “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can’t Win” and “Hearts Against the Wind,” the latter featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy.

Another collaborator was James Taylor, and the duo enjoyed great success with the 1981 song “Her Town Too,” which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The 1970s were a busy and creative time for Souther. In addition to his work with the Eagles and Ronstadt, he was also a member of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay.

Although he is known for his collaborations with some of country rock’s biggest-ever stars, Souther also had a successful solo career. His self-titled debut album was in 1972 on David Geffen’s Asylum Records and featured the songs “Run Like a Thief” which was later covered by Bonnie Raitt on her album Home Plate as well as the single “How Long” that was regularly covered by the Eagles at live shows and later featured on the band’s 2007 album Long Road Out of Eden.

Souther scored his biggest solo hit song with “You’re Only Lonely,” from the 1979 album of the same name. The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In all, Souther released eight solo albums and one live album. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Outside of music, Souther also dabbled with acting. He made sporadic appearances on television, including the shows Thirtysomething, Nashville and Purgatory as well as the films Postcards from the Edge, My Girl 2 and Deadline.

Souther is survived by his two sisters, his former wife and her daughter.