When announcing the passing of the 69-year-old songwriter, most famous for his role in penning Jett's hit 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll', his daughter urges people to take the Covid-19 virus seriously.
- March 31, 2020
AceShowbiz - Joan Jett and Meat Loaf led tributes after songwriter Alan Merrill died on Sunday, March 29 of coronavirus complications.
Merrill, most famous for his role in penning Jett's smash hit "I Love Rock 'N' Roll", passed away aged 69 in New York, with his daughter Laura announcing the sad news on Facebook as she urged people to take the Covid-19 virus seriously.
"I've made a million jokes about the 'Rona' and how it'll 'getcha'...boy do I feel stupid. If anything can come of this I beg of you to take this seriously. Money doesn't matter," she wrote.
Following the announcement of Merrill's death, Jett took to Twitter to pay her respects, penning a tribute post which saw her remember the very first time she heard "I Love Rock 'N' Roll". Merrill initially wrote the tune for his former band The Arrows, recording it in 1975, before Jett recorded her own version in 1982. It went on to become one of the singer's biggest hits.
"I can still remember watching the Arrows on TV in London and being blown away by the song that screamed hit to me," she tweeted. "With deep gratitude and sadness, wishing him a safe journey to the other side."
Meanwhile, Meat Loaf, whose band Merrill played in for four years, tweeted: "Let this be a lesson to all of us, try to stay in touch with the people you really love and care about. Life is very short. Alan I am sorry that I didn't reach out to you years ago. I love you very much."
"Celebrate the life of Alan Merrill. Then say a prayer for Alan and the world."
