Tucker Zimmerman, a long-running figure in American folk music whose songwriting earned admiration from artists including David Bowie, died Saturday in a house fire in Belgium that also killed his wife, Marie-Claire. He was 84.
The couple died Saturday at their home near Liège, according to British record label 4AD, which announced the news.
Zimmerman had released his 2024 album "Dance of Love" through the label, working with indie band Big Thief late in his career.
"It is with tremendous sadness we announce the passing of Tucker Zimmerman. He and his beloved wife of half a century, Marie-Claire [Lambert], died at their home near Liege, Belgium," 4AD said in a statement on Instagram.
"His work was a sonic memoir; a tribute to the people, experiences and sounds that have shaped his 84 years. Both he and Marie-Claire were wonderful souls who loved one another deeply and brought light to so many people's lives. We know we are not alone in saying how honoured we are to have known them both."
During a career spanning more than 60 years, Zimmerman released multiple albums and wrote more than 800 songs, continuing to record and perform into his 80s. Born in San Francisco, Zimmerman began writing songs in 1965 and released his debut album, "Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman," three years later.
Tony Visconti, who produced Zimmerman's debut album in 1968, paid tribute to him on Facebook.
"David Bowie adored him," Visconti wrote in a Facebook post. "If you haven't heard Tucker's music, it was like a very dark version of Bob Dylan. I'm all choked up."
Bowie mentioned Zimmerman in a 2003 interview with Vanity Fair, calling his debut album a personal favorite.
"The guy's way too qualified for folk, in my opinion. Degrees in theory and composition, studying under composer Henry Onderdonk, Fulbright scholarship, and he wants to be Dylan," Bowie said. "A waste of an incendiary talent? Not in my opinion. I always found this album of stern, angry compositions enthralling."
Zimmerman lived in Rome and London earlier in his career before moving to Belgium, where he remained for decades.
He met Lambert in Rome while studying there as a Fulbright scholar; she was working at the Belgian embassy at the time. They married in 1975 and welcomed a son the following year.
Throughout his career, Zimmerman frequently credited his wife as central to his personal stability and creative output.
"We've now been together for over 50 years. She's stood by my side thru thick and thin, storms and calm weather, rain, ice and heat waves," he wrote on his website. "Without her I would be nowhere in the world except six-feet under. Her love for me and her faith in what I do is beyond belief. She is my guide. She is my muse. She is my driver."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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