Goodbye to Todd Snider

Singer-songwriter Todd Snider has passed away at the age of 59: the news was confirmed by Rolling Stone USA: he had recently been struck by pneumonia. This is what was published on his Facebook page:

Our Folk Hero, our World Poet, our Vice President of Sudden Change, the Storyteller, our beloved Todd Daniel Snider has left this world. Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who could distill everything down to its essence with words and songs, while delivering the most devastating, hilarious and impactful turn of phrase? Always creating rhymes and metrics that instantly felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.

Born in Portland (Oregon), in Texas in the 80s he was discovered and followed by Jerry Jeff Walker. In the 1990s he settled in Nashville: his 2004 album, “East Nashville Skyline,” is considered one of the seminal records of alt-country. Over the years he has collaborated with John Prine, Jimmy Buffett, Guy Clark and Kris Kristofferson. “I’ve always had a predisposition for the troubadour life,” he told Rolling Stone in 2023. “Jerry Jeff Walker made me understand that the difference between a free spirit and a freeloader they are three chords on the guitar.”

In 2025 he released “High, Lonesome and Then Some”. In his last interview with Rolling Stone last October, Snider recounted a difficult personal period: “I wouldn’t say I’m better, and I don’t think I’ll be better. The last few years have been hard. The last two years have been even harder.”