Sonny Curtis, who penned ‘I Fought the Law’ and played with the Crickets, dead at 88

Sonny Curtis, once a member of Buddy Holly’s band the Crickets and later the voice behind the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died at 88.

His daughter Sarah shared the news on social media Saturday. “I’m heartbroken to tell you that my dad Sonny passed away yesterday after a sudden illness. I’m so grateful that I was with him at the end, along with my mom. It was peaceful and he didn’t suffer,” she wrote.

“He was 88 and he lived a more exceptional life than anyone I’d ever met. He made a mark on this world, and he made a mark on the hearts of all who knew him. It’s a sad day, but what a life. May we look at his life with joy rather than sadness. He would have wanted that.”

Born in Meadow, Texas, Curtis first began playing with Holly in the mid-1950s, before Holly formed the Crickets in 1957. Curtis officially joined the Crickets in 1958, just months before Holly’s death in February 1959. Afterward, Curtis stayed on as the group’s lead guitarist and eventually stepped up as the lead singer as well.

It was during his time with the Crickets that Curtis wrote one of his most lasting songs, “I Fought the Law.” The band first released it in 1960, but it became a Top 10 hit when covered by the Bobby Fuller Four and later gained iconic status when the Clash recorded their version in 1979. Rolling Stone eventually named the track one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Curtis went on to write hits for other major artists, including “Walk Right Back” for the Everly Brothers, “More Than I Can Say” for Leo Sayer, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” for Keith Whitley, and “The Straight Life” for Glen Campbell. But his most famous work came when he recorded “Love Is All Around” in 1970, a song that became the theme for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ran for seven seasons.

“Who can turn the world on with her smile? / Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?” Curtis sang in the opening. “Well it’s you girl, and you should know it / With each glance and every little movement you show it.”

Throughout the sitcom’s run, Curtis recorded different versions of the song, while artists like Joan Jett and Husker Du also created their own renditions of the beloved theme.

In 2012, Curtis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the Crickets. Having lived much of his later life in Nashville, he was also honored by the city’s Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991 and inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.