Overview

• Family members said he died Friday after a sudden illness, with his wife confirming the death to the Associated Press and posts noting a peaceful passing.
• Born in Meadow, Texas, he collaborated with Buddy Holly as a teen, joined The Crickets in 1958 and later served as the band’s frontman after Holly’s 1959 death.
• He wrote and performed The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme, “Love Is All Around,” crafting it from a brief show treatment and later revising its lyric for subsequent seasons.
• His catalog includes “Walk Right Back” and “More Than I Can Say,” while “I Fought the Law” became a Top 10 hit for the Bobby Fuller Four and a punk-era staple for The Clash and others.
• Career honors included the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1991), the Musicians Hall of Fame (2007) and a 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction with The Crickets; survivors include his wife, Louise, and daughter, Sarah.