Singer/songwriter Andrew Gold, who had a Top 10 hit in 1977 with “Lonely Boy,” died of a heart attack June 3 in Los Angeles at age 59.
Gold became the leader of Linda Ronstadt’s band in the early ’70s and was featured on Ronstadt’s 1974 hit album Heart Like a Wheel. He was also the writer of “Thank You For Being a Friend,” which became the theme song for the long-running sitcom The Golden Girls.
Gold was a highly regarded session player and worked as a producer, writer and sideman for Art Garfunkel, Nicolette Larson, Stephen Bishop, Vince Gill, Celine Dion, Aaron Neville, Wynonna Judd, James Taylor, Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne, Cher and Brian Wilson, among others.
Gold is survived by by his wife, Leslie Kogan; his mother; two sisters, Martha Carr and Melani Gold Friedman; and by his daughters from a previous marriage, Emily, Victoria and Olivia,