JD Souther and Linda Ronstadt were a couple in the early 1970s, specifically from 1972 to 1974. Their relationship lasted for approximately two years. They were a prominent couple in the Los Angeles music scene at the time, living together in a bungalow in the Hollywood Hills, specifically the Camrose-Highland bungalows, located in the Hollywood Heights neighborhood and close by the Hollywood Bowl.

John David Souther (November 2, 1945 – September 17, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters”. Souther wrote and co-wrote songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt and some of the Eagles biggest hits, including “Best of My Love”, “Victim of Love”, “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town”. “How Long”, which appeared on the Eagles’ Long Road Out of Eden, came from Souther’s first solo album. He recorded two hit songs in his solo career: “You’re Only Lonely” (1979) and “Her Town Too” (1981), a duet with James Taylor. He had a brief acting career and appeared on TV and in movies. He played with the Eagles on their 2008 farewell tour.

Souther moved to Los Angeles in 1969 and met musician and songwriter Glenn Frey. They became room-mates and musical collaborators and briefly performed as a folk duo using the name Longbranch Pennywhistle. They released an album in 1970 on Jimmy Bowen’s Amos Records. Souther helped the Eagles to form as a backing band for Linda Ronstadt and when they branched out on their own, he played with them at the Troubadour on LA’s Santa Monica Blvd, south of the Sunset Strip.

Souther declined an offer to join The Eagles and instead signed to David Geffen’s Asylum label and recorded a debut solo studio album under his own name. In 1972 he formed the Souther–Hillman–Furay Band with Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield. The group released two albums which failed to sell and the band split up. Souther wrote the song “Run Like a Thief” which appeared on Bonnie Raitt’s 1975 album, Home Plate.

1976 saw the release of Souther’s second solo LP Black Rose, produced by Peter Asher and considered by many to be his finest work. It featured a duet with Ronstadt, “If You Have Crying Eyes”. Souther contributed as a singer to works written by other artists, including backing vocals with Don Henley; on “The Light Is On” for Christopher Cross on his debut album; on the songs “False Faces” and “Loose Ends” on Dan Fogelberg’s 1976 LP Nether Lands; and, with Fogelberg, as the Hot Damn Brothers on Fogelberg’s 1975 LP Captured Angel.

Souther co-wrote several songs for the Eagles including “Best of My Love”, “James Dean”, “New Kid In Town”, and “Doolin-Dalton”. The Eagles recording “Heartache Tonight”, written by Souther, Bob Seger, Frey, and Henley, was released in 1979 and became the band’s final chart-topping song on the Billboard Hot 100. Souther scored his biggest solo hit with the 1979 song “You’re Only Lonely” from the album of the same name, which reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the number 1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks. He was an accomplished performer, and Frey commented that the only reason he was not a bigger solo star was that “he gave the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt most of his best songs”.

Souther dated Ronstadt in the 1970s and co-produced her Don’t Cry Now album. He also wrote songs for several of her multi-platinum albums, including “Faithless Love” from Heart Like a Wheel and “White Rhythm and Blues” on Living in the USA. He recorded other duets with Ronstadt, including “Prisoner in Disguise”, “Sometimes You Can’t Win”, and “Hearts Against the Wind”, which was featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. He collaborated with his friend James Taylor on “Her Town Too” from Taylor’s platinum-certified Dad Loves His Work album; it reached number 11 on the Hot 100 and number 5 on the AC chart in 1981.

Souther dated Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks in the 1970s. He briefly dated Judee Sill and was the inspiration for her song “Jesus Was a Cross Maker”.

In December 2002, Souther moved from the Hollywood Hills to Nashville, Tennessee. In 2004, he married Sarah Nicholson from Bansha, Ireland; they divorced in 2010.

JD Souther died at his home in Sandia Park, New Mexico, on September 17, 2024, at the age of 78. He was due to begin a tour in less than a week with songwriter Karla Bonoff.