Singer-Songwriter J.D. Souther Dead at 78

J.D. Souther, who wrote a series of songs for Eagles but refused to join the band when it was starting, died at the age of 78 on Tuesday.

The news was confirmed by Souther's publicity company, which added that he had died at his home in New Mexico. No more details were provided.

Souther was Glenn Frey’s first songwriting partner. The duo released an album under the banner Longbranch Pennywhistle in 1970. Souther would go on to collaborate on “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town” and “Heartache Tonight,” among others. He breifly led that Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, feauring the Byrds’ Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay.

As a performer he released eight solo albums between 1972 and 2015, landing a hit with the 1979 single “You’re Only Lonely.” He duetted with once-girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, and wrote songs including “Faithless Love” and “White Rhythm and Blues.” He also wrote “Run Like a Thief” for Bonnie Raitt.

Souther was occasionally an actor, with prominent roles in Thirtysomething and Nashville, among others. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 2018 he told the Chicago Tribune that he’d been a member of Eagles for less than a day, explaining that “David Geffen thought it that would be, ‘Four songwriters, good; five songwriters better.’ So we put together a set and played it at the Troubadour in the afternoon for the management team.

“I just remember them looking down the front line and seeing four of us bashing away at stringed instruments. And, to be frank, they didn’t need me. They were a perfectly well-rounded, self-contained band.

“I figured we were going to keep writing together anyway, so I think we all got the best of that situation. … Frankly, when I said, ‘No, I don’t think I really want to be in the band,’ I’ve never seen four guys more relieved. I think they were more delighted than I was.”

How Did J.D. Souther Feel About Missing Out on Eagles Fame?

In 2010 Souther – who took a two-decade break in his career before returning to action in 2008 – told the Creative Independent (via Variety), “There was definitely a period of time where people would occasionally say to me, ‘Doesn’t it piss you off that the Eagles have these big hits off your songs?’ I would usually start saying, ‘Would you like to see the checks?’

“How could I be pissed off? Even Glenn Frey once said – and he was kind of joking … ‘One of the reasons J.D. didn’t have a bigger solo career is because he gave us or Linda Ronstadt most of his best songs.’ And that’s sort of true. The closest I got to being really famous was during the ‘You’re Only Lonely’ period, and I really didn’t like it that much. … It’s a relief in some ways, though it also doesn’t pay quite as well.”