Justin Townes Earle Dead at 38

Singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle has died at age 38, his family announced. While he was the son of musician Steve Earle, the younger Earle was an accomplished musician in his own right, known "for his mix of old-timey roots music and modern-day Americana," per Rolling Stone. (See his NPR "Tiny Desk Concert" here.) The family statement did not give a cause of death. Pitchfork notes that Earle has been open about his struggles with addiction early in life—he has said in interviews that he survived five heroin overdoses by age 21—but he had been sober in recent years.

"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," says the Earle family statement. It quotes one of his lyrics, notes People: "I've crossed oceans/ Fought freezing rain and blowing sand/ I've crossed lines and roads and wondering rivers/ Just looking for a place to land." Earle and wife Jenn Marie had a daughter, Etta St. James, in 2017. (More Steve Earle stories.)