UNITED STATES—On Sunday, August 23, musician Justin Townes Earle, died at the age of 38. His death was confirmed in a post on Earle’s official Facebook account which stated, “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin. So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys.”
The Tennessee-born singer and songwriter worked on music genres of Americana, Blues, Country and Folk. He was part of two bands based in Nashville including The Distributors, a rock band, as well as a band with a combo of ragtime and bluegrass, The Swindlers. He launched a solo career in 2007, where he released a debut EP song called “Yuma.” He signed a contract with the Chicago’s Bloodshot Records, and released the album named “The Good Life” in 2008. The album “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now” was selected as number 37 of the top 50 albums in 2012. In 2017, Earle had an agreement with New West Records, who released albums outside of Nashville, such as the “Kids in the Street.”
Earle had been dealing with a drug addiction since he was 12, addressing the issue in the “Walking the Floor” podcast in 2017 with Chris Shiflett, where he explained that he got sober when he began focusing on his music. He said, “I got all my craziness out of the way as a coffeehouse musician and a roadie.” The singer married to Jenn Marie Maynard in 2013, and has a daughter named Etta.
A cause of death for the musician has not been disclosed to the public.
