Warren Zevon was an artist’s artist. One of the most talented and significant singer-songwriters to emerge in the 1970s, Zevon wrote poetic but offbeat songs, often with darkly humorous and acerbic lyrics, and delivered them with a dry wit and a twisted energy like no other performer could. Throughout his career, Zevon built a devoted fan base and earned the respect of his greatest peers, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young.

Trained as a classical pianist, Zevon began his career in the 1960s as a composer of commercial jingles, a writer of pop songs (including two recorded by the Turtles), and a singer in the folk-pop duo Lyme & Cybelle, followed by several years doing session work and touring with musicians including the Everly Brothers. Zevon’s self-titled album, released in 1976 and produced by his friend Jackson Browne, won glowing reviews from critics and admiration from artists including Linda Ronstadt, who covered four of its songs. The followup album, Excitable Boy (1978), featured the smash hit “Werewolves of London,” which climbed the singles charts and earned Zevon a cult following that remained for his entire career.

After releasing more than a dozen critically acclaimed albums, Zevon was diagnosed with an inoperable form of lung cancer in 2002. He spent the final months of his life completing his last album, The Wind (2003), which featured contributions from numerous friends and admirers including Browne, Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, and Tom Petty. Zevon died two weeks after the release of the album, which earned two Grammy Awards.

While he never achieved the level of fame and recognition he deserved, Zevon was adored by music critics, revered by his contemporaries, and deeply loved by his fans. “He was and remains one of my favorite songwriters,” said David Crosby. “He saw things with a jaundiced eye that still got the humanity of things.” Zevon’s musical legacy lives on in the work of rock and country troubadours Eddie Vedder, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Taylor Goldsmith, and many others.