Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, an unforgettable voice in contemporary Americana, has died at age 38. The news was confirmed by a post Sunday night on the artist's Facebook page. "It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin. 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." No further details were immediately available.

Earle carved out a distinctive voice as an artist mixing country twang and swampy rock, his songs evoking both venerable traditions and a very contemporary vulnerability with restless lyrics and driving rhythms. His father was revered singer-songwriter Steve Earle, and he was named after the late Townes Van Zandt, another legendary singer-songwriter. Justin Townes Earle would carry on the pathbreaking tradition of his father and his namesake, although the younger Earle made no secret of his resentment of his father after a stormy childhood colored by the elder's addiction struggles not unlike those that Justin Townes Earle would also face as a young man.

Over the course of eight LPs following his 2007 debut EP Yuma, Justin Townes Earle earned fans around the world as well as critical acclaim and respect from fellow artists like Wanda Jackson, whose album Unfinished Business he produced in 2012. He sometimes collaborated with his father, although their relationship was stormy.

Justin Townes Earle was familiar to The Current's audience, performing multiple times in our studio and at events like our 2019 day party at SXSW. In 2014, he told host Mary Lucia, "Life is a very interesting thing if you open your eyes to it. All people are weird in their own way."

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