Dave Marsh author of landmark Springsteen biography ‘Born to Run' dies at 76

Dave Marsh author of landmark Springsteen biography ‘Born to Run' dies at 76Dave March, an acclaimed music critic who penned several influential books about Bruce Springsteen, passed away at 76. Marsh, widely recognised for his biography, Born to Run, died in Connecticut on Friday, August 14, 2026. The news was confirmed by Jim Rotolo, the SiriusXM radio host, who announced Marsh’s death in a social media post. Marsh’s longtime commrade Jeffrey St. Clair, a co-editor of the online magazine Counterpunch spoke with the Associated Press and revealed that he had been battling with a degenerative brain disease over a long period of time. Springsteen took to Instagram and shared a heartfelt post, writing that the loss had left the band “heartbroken.” “My great friend Dave, with his straight-out-of-Detroit attitude, was a true Rock ‘n' Roll lifer. “He was soulful, intelligent, heartfelt, opinionated, bruising and often fantastically argumentative,” Springsteen wrote. “He deeply believed in what I was trying to accomplish, and his lifetime of support meant the world to me,” heartbroken Springsteen added. Marsh championed Springsteen from the very start of his career, when he started writing about him for Creem magazine and penning his first Rolling Stone cover story in 1978.In 1979 his biography, Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story, was released and became a New York Times bestseller. After a seven-year gap, Marsh penned a follow-up, Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in 1986.