Article: SINGER-SONGWRITER VAN ZANDT OF HEART ATTACK, AT 52.(NEWS)(Obituary)

Byline: Neil Strauss The New York Times

Townes Van Zandt, an influential songwriter whose dark and tragic country and folk ballads mirrored his own life, died Wednesday at his home in Smyrna, Texas. He was 52.

The cause was apparently a heart attack, said Beverly Paul, a spokeswoman for Sugar Hill, the music label for which he recorded. Van Zandt broke his hip last week and had just returned home after undergoing surgery, she said.

Van Zandt's powerfully written songs and spare, haunting delivery influenced many country, folk and rock performers, including Neil Young, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, the Cowboy Junkies and the grunge ...

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