Bruce Springsteen has paid tribute to music critic and biographer Dave Marsh, who died at 76 in Connecticut. The Associated Press reported that Marsh died Friday after living with degenerative brain disease. Friend Jeffrey St. Clair gave the death information to the AP, which described Marsh’s long connection to Springsteen and American rock journalism.
Marsh became known for writing about Springsteen’s career at a time when the singer’s public profile was expanding. His biography Born to Run examined the musician’s work and helped make Springsteen’s story part of the larger conversation about rock criticism and popular music.
The AP obituary said Marsh appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1978 and wrote a bestselling book the following year. His later work continued to connect music criticism with questions about race, politics, labor and the cultural meaning of popular songs.
Springsteen’s official website published a Dave Marsh tribute on Aug. 15. The notice places the musician’s public remembrance alongside the AP’s account of Marsh’s death and career. It does not replace the family and friend information used in the death report, but it confirms that the tribute was posted on Springsteen’s own site.
Marsh’s importance to Springsteen coverage came from more than access to one artist. His books and criticism helped establish a record of the singer’s early career and the wider rock culture around it. The reports reviewed here identify the death, the illness reported by the AP and the public tribute without adding a cause beyond what was stated.
