Sonny Curtis, Buddy Holly band frontman, Mary Tyler Moore Show singer, dies at 88

Sonny Curtis, the frontman of Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets who wrote classic songs including the theme for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” has died. He was 88.

Curtis died Friday “after a sudden illness,” his daughter, Sarah, announced in a Facebook post.

“I’m heartbroken to tell you that my dad Sonny passed away yesterday after a sudden illness,” her message read. “I’m so grateful that I was with him at the end, along with my mom. It was peaceful and he didn’t suffer.”

“He was 88 and he lived a more exceptional life than anyone I’d ever met,” Sarah continued. “He made a mark on this world, and he made a mark on the hearts of all who knew him. It’s a sad day, but what a life. May we look at his life with joy rather than sadness. He would have wanted that.”

Curtis is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Louise, and their daughter.

The late singer was born on May 9, 1937 in Meadow, Texas. He learned to play guitar at a young age thanks to his uncles, who performed in a musical group called the Mayfield Brothers.

At age 15, Curtis met Buddy Holly and they formed a band together, opening for legends such as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. Curtis also played guitar on some of Holly’s recordings including “Blue Days Black Nights” and “Rock Around With Ollie Vee,” which he also wrote.

Curtis officially joined Holly’s band, The Crickets, in 1958, shortly before Holly died in a plane crash at age 22 in Feb. 1959.

After Holly’s death, Curtis took over as frontman of The Crickets. They released Curtis’ song “I Fought the Law” for their first post-Holly album, “In Style With the Crickets,” which ended up becoming a hit for The Bobby Fuller Four when they covered it in 1966.

Curtis also wrong the songs “Walk Right Back,” which became popularized by The Everly Brothers, and “More Than I Can Say,” which found further success when sang by Bobby Vee and Leo Sayer.

“Of course ‘I Fought The Law’ has turned out to be my most lucrative copyright to date,” Curtis said in a past interview. “There have been lots of versions…one by Hank Williams Jr, which I think is actually my favourite version of it…one by Johnny Rodriguez…another by Roy Orbison, one by Kris Kristofferson…the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band did it…Sam Neely has a version…the Clash did it of course!”

In 1970, Curtis wrote and performed “Love Is All Around” as the theme song for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The sitcom starring Mary Tyler Moore ran for seven years on CBS.

Curtis once said that to write the theme song he was given a four-page treatment of the show about a “girl from the Midwest, moves to Minneapolis, gets a job in a newsroom, can’t afford her apartment.”

Later in life, Curtis continued to write songs and perform, both as a solo artist and with The Crickets. His other hits included “The Straight Life,” recorded by Glen Campbell, “A Fool Never Learns,” recorded by Andy Williams, and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain,” recorded by Keith Whitley.

Curtis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Nashville Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.

In 2012, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Crickets alongside drummer Jerry Allison, bassist Joe B. Mauldin and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan.