The son of country-rocker, Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle died at the age of 38. It was on Sunday when the singer-songwriter’s death was announced by his representatives.
The announcement made on Earle’s official Facebook page read that with tremendous grief in their hearts they inform the passing away of their son, husband, father, and friend Justin. There are so many who have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and they now hope that his music continues to guide all of them on their respective journeys of life.
Earle took his first step as a musician when he was a teenager who played in a local Nashville band and also used to tour with his father. But according to music publication Pitchfork, Steve reportedly fired his son because of his drug abuse.
Moreover, in several interviews, Earle had admitted about his addiction to drugs and had also said that he’d have survived five heroin doses by the age of 21. But in recent years, he had become all sober.
It was at the 2009 Americana Honors & Awards when Earle had won the Emerging Act of the Year award and also Song of the Year in 2011 for Harlem River Blues. He was also nominated for Artist of the Year back in 2012.
During a 2019 interview with The Boot, Earle had addressed the constant comparisons he has to face with his father. He had stated that there are a lot of sons and daughters out there who have got nothing to do with their parents and it is high time that people must get over that shit. He also raised a question stating that who thinks that whatever they are doing in their lives involves no influence from their father or mother.
The Saint of Lost Causes was Earle’s most recent album which was released in 2019 and had gathered relatively positive reviews.
According to an Associated Press review of the album, Justin Townes Earle was supposedly feeling bad and his music never sounded so good. The titles told the tale and there was pain from the start (the title cut) to the finish (The lonely lament Talking to Myself). But not everything included in the song was a downer- Mornings in Memphis finds beauty at the moment, and Say Baby is a spirited two-chord come-on.
However, the cause behind Earle’s sudden departure is still unknown.
