Jon Landau Remembers ‘Generous Friend’ and Springsteen Biographer Dave Marsh
Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's longtime manager, has paid tribute to Dave Marsh, the rock critic and biographer who died on 14 August at the age of 76. Marsh, who died of unknown causes at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut, was best known for writing "Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story", widely regarded 50 years on as the definitive account of Springsteen's early career. Landau's tribute, shared on social media and reposted by Springsteen himself, celebrated a decades-long friendship rooted in shared passion for music, politics and writing.
Marsh began his career at 19 as an early editor of Creem magazine in Detroit before joining Rolling Stone at 22, later succeeding Landau as editor of its record section and regularly clashing with co-founder Jann Wenner. Over his career he wrote more than 25 books, helped establish E Street Radio and hosted SiriusXM's Kick Out the Jams for nearly two decades. Landau highlighted the charity closest to Marsh's heart, the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, set up with his wife Barbara after her daughter died of cancer in 1991, which ran benefit shows for over 30 years, often featuring Springsteen, and helped train doctors and support patients.
- Rock critic and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh has died aged 76.
- Jon Landau praised him as a "generous friend" in a tribute.
- Marsh wrote "Born to Run" and co-founded the Kristen Ann Carr Fund.
New here? Start with this
Jon Landau has been Bruce Springsteen's manager since the mid-1970s and remains one of the most trusted figures in his circle. Dave Marsh was a rock critic who first made his name at Creem magazine in Detroit before moving to Rolling Stone, and he became close friends with both Landau and Springsteen over decades in the music business. He died on 14 August at his home in Connecticut, aged 76.
Marsh's best-known work is "Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story", a biography written when Springsteen's career was still young that is now seen as the standard account of those formative years. Beyond his writing, he built a broader career in music broadcasting and criticism, including work with SiriusXM's E Street Radio, and was known for a strong, sometimes combative streak in the industry.
Marsh and his wife Barbara also founded the Kristen Ann Carr Fund in memory of her daughter, who died of cancer in 1991, which has run benefit concerts and supported cancer research and patients for over 30 years. Landau's tribute, later shared by Springsteen himself, reflects the personal and professional ties linking these figures across half a century of rock music history.