Country Singer-Songwriter Justin Townes Earle, Son Of Steve Earle, Dies At 38

Alt-country singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, son of country legend Steve Earle, died on Sunday at the age of 38.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” said a statement on Earle’s official Facebook page. “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. You will be missed dearly Justin 💔. ”

The post ended with lyrics from his 2014 song “Looking For A Place To Land”:

“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.”

The statement did not reveal the musician’s cause of death, nor where he died.

Earle was born in Nashville and played in local bands before releasing his first album in 2007 titled, Yuma. His most recent album The Saint of Lost Causes was released in May 2019. The singer has been open about his addictions to drugs and alcohol, which he had reportedly been struggling with since the age of 12. He had survived five heroin overdoses by the age of 21, according to the Charleston City Paper.

“I always knew there was something different about the way that I used drugs and drank to the way that my friends did,” Earle told The Scotsman in 2015. “But it’s a wild thing to wake up when you’re 16 years old and realize you can’t stop shooting up.”

Earle had a daughter Etta St. James, with wife Jenn Marie in 2017.

Fellow musicians and friends remembered Earle on social media.