David Olney, whose songs have been recorded by artists like Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris, died Saturday of a heart attack while performing in Florida. He was 71.
Olney, who was taking part in the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, stopped in the middle of his third song, apologized to the audience, put his chin to his chest and closed his eyes.
“He was very still, sitting upright with his guitar on, wearing the coolest hat and a beautiful rust suede jacket we laughed about because it was raining like hell outside the boathouse where we were playing,” read a description on Facebook of his final moments by Amy Rigby, who was on stage with him.
“I just want the picture to be as graceful and dignified as it was, because it at first looked like he was just taking a moment.”
Musician Scott Miller wrote on Facebook: “He never dropped his guitar or fell [off] his stool. It was as easy and gentle as he was. We got him down and tried our best to revive him until the [EMTs] arrived.”
After attending university in North Carolina, the Rhode Island native moved to Nashville in 1973 to focus on being a songwriter. He formed rock band The X-Rays in the early ’80s but soon launched a solo career that resulted in more than 20 albums.
Earle recorded Olney’s “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” and Harris covered his “Jerusalem Tomorrow” and ”Deeper Well.” Linda Ronstadt did a version of Olney’s “Women Cross the River.”
Olney was scheduled to perform Jan. 23 in New Orleans and on Feb. 13 in Nashville.
Olney is survived by wife Regine, daughter Lillian and son Redding.