R.I.P.: Shirley Eikhard, Grammy Award Winning Songwriter

Shirley Eikhard (1955-2022)

Shirley Eikhard, responsible for Bonnie Raitt's Grammy Award-winning “Something to Talk About,” among many other hit songs, has died at the age of 67. 

The singer-songwriter's publicist, Eric Alper, confirmed that she passed away on Thursday, Dec. 15, at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville, Ontario, of complications related to cancer, per NBC News. 

When the "I Can't Make You Love Me" crooner won the Grammy in 1991, she thanked Eikhard during her speech, and Raitt took to Twitter after learning the news of her death to send her condolences to the late writer's friends and family. 

Eikhard has also provided songs for artists like Cher, Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray, and Chet Atkins. Additionally, Eikhard has won several Juno and BMI awards for her work, and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in October 2020.

According to NBC, she taught herself to play guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, chromatic harmonica, sax, banjo and mandolin, and released 18 of her own albums throughout her career. The talented musician was only 15 years old when Murray recorded her track “It Takes Time” in 1971.

“Something to Talk About” was written and offered to Murray and other artists in 1985, but they all declined to record it. It wasn't until Raitt heard is on a demo recording several years later that it finally got its chance.

I’m deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my friend Shirley Eikhard, the wonderful Canadian singer/songwriter who wrote my hit song, "Something to Talk About." My condolences go out to her family and friends. pic.twitter.com/U9GrqswaaU

— Bonnie Raitt (@TheBonnieRaitt) December 16, 2022

According to the Toronto Star, Eikhard, who had battled cancer for three years, was surrounded by her family and friends when she passed.