The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Andrew Gold, R.I.P.

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Andrew Gold, R.I.P.

By Aaron Goldstein on 6.6.11 @ 12:12AM

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gold died of a heart attack on Friday. He was 59.

Gold first attracted notice with his work on Linda Ronstadt's 1974 breakthrough album Heart Like a Wheel. He played nearly every instrument on her number one hit "You're No Good."

He subsequently landed his own record deal and had two hits of his own in the late 1970's - "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You For Being a Friend." The latter hit, of course, would become the theme song for NBC sitcom The Golden Girls (with vocals done by Cynthia Fee.) All the while, Gold continued to provide back up vocals for Ronstadt's albums throughout the 1970's and into the 1980's.

In the early 1980's, Gold was invited to join the British band 10cc but declined their offer. However, he would eventually join forces with 10cc's Graham Gouldman to form the duo Wax, an act which had several hits in the U.K. and on the European charts.

In later years, Gold composed music for movies and television most notably "The Final Frontier", the theme song for the NBC sitcom Mad About You.

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

albert constantine jr.| 6.6.11 @ 9:04AM

I believe in (and hope and pray for) a forgiving God. As a result, when Andrew appears before Him, I'm sure he will be able to explain the selfish impulses that allowed him to bemoan the mere existence of his younger sister which he unashamedly immortalized in the lyrics in "Lonely Boy" because it cut into the attention he received from his parents. I make this observation, of course, from the perspective of a second and middle child.

Dave| 6.6.11 @ 9:17AM

I don't think the song was autobiographical. Gold himself has always denied that it is.

gearjammer| 6.6.11 @ 10:32AM

One less vote for Obama.

Seek| 6.6.11 @ 11:34AM

Is this how you keep score? A human being -- a talented one, at that -- has died, and for you it's a political event to celebrate.

Terrance Shuman| 6.6.11 @ 12:29PM

A minor point: Gold did not compose "The Final Frontier." The song was co-written by series star Paul Reiser and producer Don Was. Gold performed the original version for the TV show; another version with Anita Baker doing the vocals was used for the show's final couple of seasons.