Songwriter Alan Merrill has died of coronavirus aged 69.
The news was confirmed by his daughter Laura, who said he played down the “cold” he came down with before his health took a turn for the worse.
She wrote: “You don’t think It’ll happen to you or your strong family. It has.
“Stay home if not for you, for others. For my dad. This thing is real.
“We probably won’t be able to mourn him properly with a funeral. I just lost the greatest love of my life and won’t be able to hug anyone because I’ve been exposed and need to self-quarantine for two weeks….alone.”
Alan Merrill, who was born in New York, has died of coronavirus (Image: Facebook)
Merrill was best known for writing Joan Jett’s I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Jett had reportedly had tried to convince her band The Runaways to cover it but they refused.
Merrill, born Allan Preston Sachs in New York, spent time in Japan and the UK throughout his illustrious music career.
His daughter confirmed the news of the musician’s passing on social media (Image: Facebook)
In 1974, he formed the band the Arrows, with drummer Paul Varley and guitarist Jake Hooker in London, and the group released singles including Touch Too Much, My Last Night With You and I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll, which he wrote with Hooker in 1975.
Although the band split a few years later, the American star joined the band Runner (with Steve Gould, Mick Feat and Dave Dowle) and worked with artists like Rick Derringer and Meat Loaf.
He released several albums as a solo artist and was playing live shows in New York up through March of this year.
(Image: Facebook)
Following Merrill’s passing, Joan Jett paid respect to him on Instagram, writing: “I’ve just learned of the awful news that Alan Merrill has passed. My thoughts and love go to his family, friends and music community as a whole.
“I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me. With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
