Sonny Curtis — the songwriter best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme song and the frontman for Buddy Holly‘s band The Crickets — is dead at 88.
On Saturday, September 20, Sonny’s daughter, Sarah, announced her father’s death in a Facebook post. “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.”
In the death announcement, Sarah continued, “He was 88 and he lived a more exceptional life than anyone I’d ever met. 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.”
Facebook users flooded the comments with condolences and tributes to Sonny.
One fan recounted, “He was a songwriting hero of mine. I only met him once, and only briefly, about 20 years ago, but he — amazingly — stopped to talk to me as he was on his way to the stage to perform with the Crickets, backstage at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame’s tribute to Roy Orbison in Cleveland, where an audience of about 2,000 people was waiting for him. I asked him if I could interview him sometime and he gave me his card and took a minute to talk to me. Then he smiled and pointed to the stage and said, ‘I’ve got to go out there.’ I don’t think many other artists would have even stopped, in that situation, let alone been so polite about it.”
Another fan shared, “A great musician and singer, and my all-time favourite rockabilly guitarist. Trying to copy Sonny’s solos on Midnight Shift and Rock Around With Ollie Vee was what got me into playing lead guitar. I will be forever grateful. RIP Sonny. x”
Someone else commented, “My condolences to you and your family. Your dad was an incredible songwriter and storyteller. He brought a lot of joy to the world with his words! May he rest in peace.”
Meanwhile, yet another Facebook user wrote, “So sorry for your loss, Sarah. Your dad was genuinely the nicest person. So grateful my dad and our families were able to meet so many times. Memories for a lifetime. My prayers go out to you and your mom and family. May he rest in peace.“
In 1957, Holly formed the band The Crickets. Sonny joined the following year, becoming the lead guitarist and vocalist in 1959 after Holly died.
Sonny wrote “Love Is All Around” in 1970, and it became the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which aired for seven seasons on CBS.
“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,” Sonny told the Los Angeles Times in 2017.
He added, “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.”
Sonny said he wrote “Love Is All Around” in just two hours.
Of the song’s impact, Sonny pointed out, “And that was at the beginning of the women’s liberation movement and Gloria Steinem and all those people were coming on pretty strong.” He continued, “I think they all identified with that show. It was sort of a cultural touchstone, and the song was a part of that.”
In 1991, Sonny was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of The Crickets in 2012.
Sonny is survived by his wife, Louise, in addition to his daughter, Sarah.
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