KEY POINTS
Marsh died after an extended period of declining health; no cause of death has been disclosed.
His 1979 biography Born to Run helped establish his reputation as an important Springsteen chronicler.
His career included work at Creem and Rolling Stone, more than 25 books and nearly two decades hosting a SiriusXM radio program.
Marsh’s death was reported by Billboard and confirmed on Facebook by his friend Jim Rotolo. According to the reports provided, Marsh had experienced declining health in recent years, but his specific cause of death was not disclosed.
Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Marsh developed an early connection to Detroit’s music culture, including Motown and artists such as Iggy Pop and the Stooges.
He began his journalism career in the late 1960s as a founding editor and writer at Creem, working alongside influential critic Lester Bangs.Marsh later became an editor and critic at Rolling Stone. He also helped shepherd the first edition of the Rolling Stone Record Guide in 1979, further establishing his influence in music criticism.
His Work With Bruce Springsteen
Marsh became particularly associated with Bruce Springsteen after publishing Born to Run in 1979. The book examined Springsteen’s early career and rise to prominence and became a bestseller.
He later wrote Glory Days in 1987, continuing the story through Springsteen’s MTV-era success. In 2003, Marsh combined the two biographies into Bruce Springsteen: Two Hearts, adding material to update the story.
His wider body of work included more than two dozen books. Among them were Before I Get Old, a biography of The Who, and The Heart of Rock & Soul, which presented his selection of the 1,001 greatest singles.
Music Criticism and Radio Career
Marsh was known for strong opinions that sometimes proved controversial. He sharply criticized several major performers, including Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Freddie Mercury and the Grateful Dead.
He was also an early supporter of soul, girl groups, garage rock and later punk. The supplied reports credit him with first using the term “punk rock” in a 1971 article about ? and the Mysterians, the group behind “96 Tears.”
Later, Marsh hosted Kick Out the Jams on SiriusXM for 19 years and was among the creators of E Street Radio, a station focused on Springsteen.
Beyond criticism and biography, Marsh received a Grammy Award in the early 1990s for writing connected to an Aretha Franklin album. He also became involved in advocacy focused on health care access and social justice.
Marsh is survived by his wife. His two daughters died before him.
Rotolo described Marsh as a longtime critic whose work spanned Creem and Rolling Stone, while also highlighting his books about Springsteen, his radio career and his contribution to E Street Radio.
