Shirley Eikhard, the songwriter behind Bonnie Raitt‘s Grammy-winning 1991 hit “Something to Talk About,” has died. She was 67 and died Thursday at Headwaters Health Care centre in Orangeville, Ontario from cancer complications.
In addition to Raitt, Eikhard had songs covered by Cher, Emmylou Harris, Anne Murray, and Chet Atkins.
Eikard wrote “Something to Talk About” in 1985, but initially had trouble placing it with talent. Years later, Raitt left a message on Eikhard’s phone saying she she’d just recorded it from a demo Eikhard had sent.
The song was the first single from Raitt’s 1991 album Luck of the Draw and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 5. Raitt won best pop vocal performance at the 1992 Grammy Awards, and her album was also nominated in the record of the year category.
Raitt remembered Eikhard on Twitter, saying she was “deeply saddened,” adding, “I will be forever grateful for our beautiful connection and friendship.”
Eikhard earned Juno Awards in 1973 and 1974 for best country female artist and won several BMI Awards. She was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in October 2020. Her most recent album was 2021’s On My Way to You.
Her career spanned 1972 to 2021 and included 18 full-length albums.
Eikhard also sang the theme song for Stanley Kramer’s 1976 movie The Domino Principle, starring Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen, as well as the theme song for the film The Passion of Ayn Rand in 2000.
No information on survivors or a memorial was immediately available.