Bruce Springsteen is mourning the loss of longtime friend and biographer Dave Marsh after his sudden death at age 76.
Marsh, a pioneering rock critic who helped champion Springsteen’s career from its earliest days, died Friday, August 14 at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut.
“Here on E Street, the irreplaceable loss of Dave Marsh has us heartbroken,” Springsteen wrote in a statement. “My great friend Dave, with his straight out of Detroit attitude, was a true Rock ‘n’ Roll lifer. He was soulful, intelligent, heartfelt, opinionated, bruising and often fantastically argumentative…. He deeply believed in what I was trying to accomplish and his lifetime of support meant the world to me.”
Marsh died of unknown causes, according to reports. His longtime co-host Jim Rotolo announced his death on social media, remembering the journalist’s decades-long contribution to rock music.
Marsh championed Springsteen before much of the music press caught on, writing his first Rolling Stone cover story about the singer in 1978. His 1979 book, Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story, became the first major biography of the rocker.
Springsteen ended his tribute by praising Marsh’s principles. “More than anything else, I admired Dave as a man of conscience and commitment. He lived and stuck by his values come hell or high water.”
