R.I.P. J.D. Souther, Eagles songwriter of "Heartache Tonight" and "Best Of My Love"

J.D. Souther, the singer-songwriter who co-wrote tracks with the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and more, has died. A representative confirmed to Rolling Stone that Souther died peacefully at home in New Mexico; no cause of death was given. He was 78 years old. 

Souther was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Amarillo, Texas. In the ’60s, he moved to Los Angeles and began collaborating with Glenn Frey; the pair briefly formed the duo Longbranch Pennywhistle and released one eponymous album in 1970. However, they went on to continue a fruitful partnership. Souther helped write Eagles hits including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid In Town,” “Doolin-Dalton,” and “Heartache Tonight.”

Souther penned several tracks with his then-girlfriend Ronstadt, including “Faithless Love,” and collaborated with her on numerous duets like “If You Have Crying Eyes” from his solo album Black Rose and “Hearts Against The Wind,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the film Urban Cowboy. He also worked with James Taylor, co-writing their duet “Her Town Too” which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. Throughout his career he worked with a variety of other artists, including Warren Zevon, Paul Williams, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Hugh Masekela, Burt Bacharach, Dixie Chicks, Raul Malo, India Arie, Roy Orbison, Arthur Hamilton, George Strait, Brian Wilson, Bob Dipiero, Bernadette Peters, and Trisha Yearwood.

Souther was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, described by the organization as “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters.” He also worked as an actor, appearing in television shows Thirtysomething, Nashville, and Purgatory as well as the films Postcards From The Edge, My Girl 2, and Deadline. Souther released several solo albums, taking an extended break between 1984’s Home By Dawn and 2008’s If The World Was You. His last album of new songs, Tenderness, was released in 2015. He was scheduled to tour with Karla Bonoff beginning next month.