Jon Lind, who wrote hits for Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna, dead at 73

Jon Lind, who wrote hits for Madonna, Vanessa Williams and Earth, Wind & Fire, died Saturday after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 73.

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Lind’s death was confirmed by his attorney, Jeremy Rosen, Variety reported.

Primary Wave acquired a majority of Lind’s music catalog last year, the website reported. It included such songs as “Crazy for You” in 1985 by Madonna (which he co-wrote with John Bettis) and “Save the Best for Last” in 1992 by Williams (co-written with Wendy Waldman and Phil Galdston), which both reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “Save the Best for Last” was also named ASCAP’s Song of the Year in 1992, Variety reported.

Williams also wrote “Boogie Wonderland” in 1979 and “Sun Goddess” in 1974, both of which were performed by Earth, Wind & Fire, according to the website.

Lind also co-wrote hits for Cher (”Skin Deep” and “Kiss to Kiss”), Aaron Neville, Atlantic Starr, Cheap Trick (”No Mercy”), the Emotions, Deniece Williams and Rick Astley.

Lind also headed the A&R division for Hollywood Records, where he worked with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Jesse McCartney, Variety reported.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Lind was a folksinger during the late 1960s, opening for artists such as Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Harry Chapin when he was a teenager, according to the website.

Bob Cavallo, who managed Lind when he was with the Fifth Avenue Band, convinced the young performer during the 1970s to become a songwriter. Cavallo later managed Earth, Wind & Fire and Prince.

“I was in the waiting room in Bob Cavallo’s office, strumming my guitar, playing a new ‘fragment’ of music I’d written,” Lind told Songwriter Universe in 2012. “(Earth, Wind & Fire leader) Maurice White popped his head in and said, ‘What is that?’ He suggested I ‘lay it down’, and get it to him. I did so, and over the next three months and he turned it into ‘Sun Goddess.’”

The song was covered by Ramsey Lewis and later by Earth Wind & Fire, Variety reported.

Cavallo later hired Lind at Hollywood Records.

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