Souther co-wrote several major hits for the Eagles and Don Henley Eagles have paid tribute to their late collaborator and songwriter JD Souther – see what the band had to say below. JD Souther, an American singer-songwriter and actor, died earlier this week at the age of 78 . His death was first confirmed by a representative for the Eagles, who told the Los Angeles Times that he died “peacefully” in his home in New Mexico.
JD Souther. Credit: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images Now, the band have shared a statement honouring Souther via their website. They wrote: “We have lost a brother, a friend and a brilliant collaborator, and the world has lost a great songwriter, a pioneer of the Southern California sound that emerged in the 1970s.
J.D. Souther was smart, talented, well-read, and in possession of a wicked sense of humor.
He loved a good meal, a good movie, and a good Martini...
and he loved dogs, adopting many, over the course of his lifetime.” “Born in Detroit and raised in the Texas Panhandle, he was a student of the deep roots of the best American music – from country, to jazz, to classical, as well as “Standards” from the Great American Songbook – and that knowledge and appreciation informed his work. He was a crucial co-writer on many of our most popular songs, including, The Best of My Love, New Kid in Town, and Heartache Tonight.
J.D. also collaborated on many of Don Henley’s solo works, including The Heart of the Matter, Little Tin God, If Dirt Wer.