Alan Merrill, composer of 'I Love Rock ’N’ Roll' dies of coronavirus at 69
Merrill continued to write and perform as a solo artist and with different bands for the rest of his life and in 2019, released the song, “Your Love Song” on Valentine’s Day.
By HANNAH BROWNAlan Merrill(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
American Jewish musician Alan Merrill, who wrote the classic tune “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll” which was a huge hit for Joan Jett, has died of the novel coronavirus at 69 in New York City, his daughter, Laura Merrill, announced on her Facebook page Sunday."The Coronavirus took my father this morning . . . I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left there was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn’t be a ticker on the right hand side of the CNN/Fox news screen ... By the time I got in the doors to my apartment I received the news that he was gone,” she wrote. She also said that he had joked with her when he first began showing symptoms of the virus, saying that it was nothing more than a cold. Noting that she, too, had joked about the virus, she added, “Boy, do I feel stupid . . . If anything can come of this I beg of you to take this seriously. Money doesn’t matter.”Merrill played in Meat Loaf’s band for several years, and the rocker eulogized Merrill on Facebook, saying, “I am very very sad right now as I start to write this. . . He was such a great human being and very talented one.”Bebe Buell, a singer/model, posted on Instagram, “I’m at a loss for words- it’s so shocking! I was just exchanging messages with him ten days ago and he did a gig in Harlem on March 12th. He posted on here just 6 days ago!!!”Merrill was born in 1951 in The Bronx. He began performing as a teenager with bands in Greenwich Village at Cafe Wha? and eventually became a star in Japan and England, where he joined the band, The Arrows. In 1975, they recorded “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll,” which he wrote with Jake Hooker. In 1980, Merrill began performing and recording with Rick Derringer and made three albums and a film with him. In 1982, Jett covered the song and her version topped the Billboard charts for seven weeks.Merrill continued to write and perform as a solo artist and with different bands for the rest of his life and in 2019, released the song, “Your Love Song” on Valentine’s Day.Meat Loaf told fans to play “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll” and crank up the volume to honor Merrill.
