Singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis has passed away at the age of 88 due to a ‘sudden illness’ while surrounded by close loved ones.
The late star – who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over a decade earlier – was also known for creating the theme to The Mary Tyler Moore Show and fronting Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets.
His daughter Sarah confirmed the news of his death in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Saturday.
‘I’m heartbroken to tell you that my dad Sonny passed away yesterday after a sudden illness,’ she wrote. ‘I’m so grateful that I was with him at the end, along with my mom. It was peaceful and he didn’t suffer.’
She then reflected on his ‘exceptional life’ and wrote that he ‘made a mark on this world, and he made a mark on the hearts of all who knew him.’
‘It’s a sad day, but what a life. May we look at his life with joy rather than sadness. He would have wanted that.’
Singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis has passed away at the age of 88 due to a ‘sudden illness’ while surrounded by close loved ones; seen in 2004
His daughter Sarah confirmed the news of his death in a heartbreaking Facebook post on Saturday
Curtis was born in the the city of Meadow, Texas on May 9, 1937 and was the son of cotton farmers.
His passion for music began at an early age when he learned to play the guitar at the age of four – which was inspired by his uncles who were part of a bluegrass group called the Mayfield Brothers.
In the mid-1950s, Curtis began collaborating with singer Buddy Holly and the pair later opened for fellow musicians such as Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
Holly formed the band The Crickets in 1957 – which Curtis joined the following year. He became the lead vocalist and guitarist for the group in 1959 after Holly’s passing at the age of 22.
The band released an album titled In Style With The Crickets in 1960 and included tracks such as I Fought The Law – which had been written by Curtis.
The Bobby Fuller Four band covered the song in 1966 which eventually became a top 10 hit at the time. The track was also covered by The Clash as well as Green Day.
During a past interview with Classic Rock, Curtis recalled writing the hit track and said, ‘It was a real windy day, which happens a lot in west Texas. The sand was blowing outside.
‘I picked up my guitar, and I can’t imagine where the idea came from, but I just started writing this song, I Fought The Law.’
She then reflected on his ‘exceptional life’ and wrote that he ‘made a mark on this world, and he made a mark on the hearts of all who knew him; Curtis (far right) with The Crickets in 1964 after Buddy Holly’s death
The band released an album titled In Style With The Crickets in 1960 and included tracks such as I Fought The Law – which had been written by Curtis; seen in 2013 in Austin
He continued, ‘It only took about twenty minutes. You can tell that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with those lyrics. But it’s my most important copyright.’
During his successful career, Curtis wrote other tracks such as Walk Right Back – which was recorded by The Everly Brothers.
The song jumped to the number seven spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and went number one on the U.K. Singles Chart in 1961.
In 1970, Curtis wrote Love Is All Around which went on to become the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The tune has also been covered by other musicians over the years such as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Sammy Davis Jr.
While talking to the Los Angeles Times in 2017, Curtis talked about how penning the theme song came to be.
‘It was a deal that happened all in one day. I had a very good friend who worked for the Williams-Price Agency, and they managed Mary Tyler Moore.’
The late star continued, ‘He called me one morning in the summer of 1970 and asked me if I would be interested in writing a song for Mary Tyler Moore. He said they’re going to do a sitcom on her and they all need a theme song.’
During his successful career, Curtis wrote other tracks such as Walk Right Back – which was recorded by The Everly Brothers; seen in 1994 in the U.K.
In 1970, Curtis wrote Love Is All Around which went on to become the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Moore (second to right) seen at the Emmy Awards in 1976
Curtis shared that he wrote the theme song in the span of two hours and performed it to executive producer James L. Brooks.
In regards to his song being a part of the show and it’s impact, he expressed, ‘And that was at the beginning of the women’s liberation movement and Gloria Steinem and all those people were coming on pretty strong.
‘I think they all identified with that show. It was sort of a cultural touchstone, and the song was a part of that.’
The Mary Tyler Moore Show aired for seven seasons on CBS and had been a groundbreaking series at the time.
Moore notably won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series three times for her performance on the show.
‘I think they all identified with that show. It was sort of a cultural touchstone, and the song was a part of that,’ he said of The Mary Tyler Moore show; seen in 2017 in Nashville
Curtis also went on to write jingles for commercials after relocating to Los Angeles and penned songs recorded by other music artists such as Andy Williams.
In 1991, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
And in 2012, Curtis reached another career milestone when he was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of The Crickets.
He is survived by his daughter as well as wife of over 50 years named Louise.
