Springsteen, Van Zandt Salute E Street Band Champion Dave Marsh

E Street Band principals Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt are among those mourning the loss of Dave Marsh, the pioneering rock critic, biographer and longtime Springsteen champion who died Aug. 14 at the age 76 after years of health issues.

“Here on E Street, the irreplaceable loss of Dave Marsh has us heartbroken,” Springsteen wrote. He called Detroit native Marsh “a true rock’n’roll lifer” and remembered him as “soulful, intelligent, heartfelt, opinionated, bruising and often fantastically argumentative.”

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Springsteen credited Marsh with writing the first book about him, 1979’s Born To Run. “He deeply believed in what I was trying to accomplish and his lifetime of support meant the world to me,” Springsteen wrote. “More than anything else, I admired Dave as a man of conscience and commitment.”

Van Zandt similarly remembered Marsh as an “early believer on E Street” and an early supporter of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes when they “really needed it.” Calling him “fearless, relentless, arrogant, everything you’d want in a rock’n’roll troublemaker,” Van Zandt also emphasized Marsh’s writing, singling out his book Louie Louie as an overlooked work that captured “an essential untold part of rock history.”

Marsh built his reputation in the early years of the rock press boom, writing for Creem before joining Rolling Stone. He became one of the era’s most prominent rock writers and authored major biographies of Springsteen and the Who, among numerous other books. His The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made reflected the breadth of his musical interests and his famously strong opinions about what belonged in the rock canon.

Marsh’s connection to Springsteen extended well beyond the books, as he was married to longtime Springsteen manager Barbara Carr. His early advocacy for the artist coincided with Springsteen’s emergence from the Jersey Shore scene, and his writing helped document the rise of the E Street Band and the wider Asbury Park music community. In later years, Marsh was a frequent contributor to the Springsteen-focused SiriusXM station E Street Radio. After Carr’s daughter from a previous relationship, Kristen Ann, died of cancer in 1991 at the age of 21, she and Marsh launched the Kristen Ann Carr fund, which has raised millions for research over the past three decades.

Patti Smith Band guitarist Lenny Kaye also remembered Marsh’s commitment to rock music, writing, “I knew Dave quite a bit in the Creem days. He always believed in the transformative power of rock’n’roll. Here’s to the celestial typewriter awaiting.”

For Springsteen, that commitment was inseparable from Marsh’s character. “He lived and stuck by his values come hell or high water,” Springsteen wrote. “Wherever he is, I hope he’s receiving some of the grace, happiness and reward he’s brought into my life. God bless you Dave.”

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.