Andrew Gold, a singer, songwriter and versatile musician who wrote “Thank You For Being a Friend,” which became the theme of the TV series “The Golden Girls,” and who also wrote the 1977 Top 10 hit “Lonely Boy,” died June 3 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 59.
His sister, Melani Gold Friedman, said he had cancer.
Mr. Gold was a member of Linda Ronstadt’s band during the 1970s and a vital component of her pop success. He played instruments including the guitar and drum, did arrangements and sang on such Ronstadt albums as “Heart Like a Wheel” in 1974, “Prisoner in Disguise” in 1975 and “Hasten Down the Wind” in 1976.
Mr. Gold launched a solo career in the mid-1970s while still with Ronstadt’s band. “Lonely Boy” was a hit on his second album, “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” The single “Thank You for Being a Friend,” from 1978’s “All This and Heaven Too,” reached No. 25 on Billboard magazine’s charts.
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Mr. Gold’s versatility made him a highly regarded session player for such folk-rock musicians as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Loudon Wainwright III and J.D. Souther, as well as the producer of recordings by Stephen Bishop, Nicolette Larson and others.
He recorded with English musician Graham Gouldman in the 1980s and then continued to write, record and work with a variety of artists. Mr. Gold also did commercial work and soundtracks, such as singing the theme to the NBC sitcom “Mad About You.”
Share this articleShareHis last release was 2008’s “Copy Cat.”
Andrew Gold was born Aug. 2, 1951, in Burbank, Calif., to composer Ernest Gold and singer Marni Nixon.
His father won an Academy Award for his score for the 1960 film “Exodus,” and his mother sang for Natalie Wood in “West Side Story” and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,” among others.
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“It was clear from the beginning that I was going to be a musician,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1977. “With those kind of influences at home what else could I do?”
He met Ronstadt as a high school student in the 1960s when her country-rock band, the Stone Poneys, performed at Oakwood School in North Hollywood.
Mr. Gold’s marriage to Vanessa Gold ended in divorce.
In addition to his sister and his mother, his survivors include his wife, Leslie Kogan; three daughters from his previous marriage; and another sister.
— Los Angeles Times
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