Overview

• Curtis died Friday at 88 following a sudden illness, according to a Facebook post from his daughter, who said he did not suffer.
• A teenage collaborator of Buddy Holly, he later joined the Crickets and assumed the frontman role after Holly’s 1959 death.
• He wrote enduring songs including “I Fought the Law” and “Love Is All Around,” the theme for The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
• His compositions gained wide reach through later recordings by artists such as the Bobby Fuller Four, The Clash, the Everly Brothers, Leo Sayer, Glen Campbell and Green Day.
• Recognized for a decades-long career, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991.