Justin Townes Earle, the son of country rocker Steve Earle, has died at the age of 38.
The singer-songwriter’s death was announced by his representatives on Sunday.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” read the announcement on Earle’s official Facebook page. “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.”
Earle got his start as a musician as a teenager, playing in a local Nashville band as well as touring with his father. According to music publication Pitchfork, Steve fired his son because of his drug use.
In multiple interviews, Earle admitted to using drugs, and said he’d survived five heroin overdoses by age 21. He said in recent years that he was now sober.
Earle won Emerging Act of the Year at the 2009 Americana Honors & Awards, and Song of the Year in 2011 for Harlem River Blues. He was nominated for Artist of the Year in 2012.
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In a 2019 interview with The Boot, Earle addressed the constant comparisons with his father.
“There are a lot of sons and daughters out there who want nothing to do with their parents. Get over that sh-t. You think you’d be doing what you’re doing with no influence from your mother or father?”
Earle’s most recent album, The Saint of Lost Causes, was released in 2019 to relatively positive reviews.
“Justin Townes Earle is feeling bad, and his music has never been better,” reads an Associated Press review of the album. “The titles tell the tale, and there’s pain from start (the title cut) to finish (the lonely lament Talking to Myself). But not everything is a downer — Mornings in Memphis finds beauty in the moment, and Say Baby is a spirited two-chord come-on.”
Earle’s cause of death is unknown.
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