John David “JD” Souther, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame known for co-penning hits with the Eagles , James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt , has died at the age of 78. The singer-songwriter died peacefully at home in New Mexico, according to reps at Solters PR. A cause of death was not given.
Souther was born in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 2, 1945, and raised in Amarillo, Texas. After moving to Los Angeles, California, in the late Sixties, he formed a longtime partnership with the Eagles’ Glenn Frey.
The duo briefly forming a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle that released a single eponymous album in 1970 for Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records. Throughout the Seventies, Souther collaborated on several songs for the Eagles, including “Best of My Love”, “James Dean”, “New Kid In Town” and “Doolin-Dalton”. He would go on to co-write “Heartache Tonight” with Frey, Bob Seger, and Don Henley, which the Eagles would record and release in 1979, earning the group its final track to top the Hot 100.
As a successful solo artist, Souther recorded his self-titled debut in 1972 before forming The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay. In 1976, he released a second solo album, Black Rose , which was produced by Peter Asher, and featured a duet with his then-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, “If You Have Crying Eyes.” His two biggest solo hits included 1979 single “You’re Only Lonely,” which reached Number Seve.