Justin Townes Earle, the singer-songwriter and son of Steve Earle, has died. The news was confirmed on his official Facebook page on Sunday night. He was 38.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” the statement reads. “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. You will be missed dearly Justin.”
Justin Townes Earle, named after Townes Van Zandt, grew up without seeing much of his father during his childhood. “One thing that needs to be made clear is that people always say, ‘What’s it like growing up with Steve Earle,’ and I don’t fucking know,” Justin said in a 2009 interview. “You have just as good of an idea of what it's like growing up with Steve Earle as I do. I grew up with Carol-Ann Earle.”
He got his start as a working musician when he was a teenager. He played in the Nashville bands the Distributors and the Swindlers, as well as his father’s touring band, the Dukes. Steve Earle ended up firing Justin from the band, citing his son’s drug use. Justin Townes Earle spoke often about his history of drug use, saying in interviews that he’d survived five heroin overdoses by the time he was 21. He remained sober in recent years, which he discussed in multiple interviews.
He began his solo recording career with his debut EP Yuma on Bloodshot Records in 2007. He released eight albums in his lifetime, including four on Bloodshot starting with 2008’s The Good Life. His last four albums were released on Vagrant (2014’s Single Mothers and 2015’s Absent Fathers) and New West (2017’s Kids in the Street). His last album, 2019’s The Saint of Lost Causes, dealt with current social issues including the Flint water crisis and the criminal justice system in America.
In a 2019 interview surrounding his last album’s release, Justin discussed what it was like to be compared to his father. “I really do appreciate it,” he said. “There are a lot of sons and daughters out there who want nothing to do with their parents. Get over that shit. You think you’d be doing what you’re doing with no influence from your mother or father?”
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