WZ
Warren Zevon
Composer, Actor
Born January 24, 1947Died September 7, 2003 (56 years)
Warren William Zevon (/ˈziːvɒn/; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All three songs are featured on his third album, Excitable Boy (1978), the title track of which is also well-known. He also wrote major hits that were recorded by other artists, including "Poor Poor Pitiful Me", "Mohammed's Radio", "Carmelita" and "Hasten Down the Wind". Per The New York Times, "Mr. Zevon had a pulp-fiction imagination" which yielded "terse, action-packed, gallows-humored tales that could sketch an entire screenplay in four minutes and often had death as a punchline. But there was also vulnerability and longing in Mr. Zevon's ballads, like 'Mutineer,' 'Accidentally Like a Martyr' and 'Hasten Down the Wind'."
Zevon had early music industry successes as a session musician, jingle composer, songwriter, touring musician, musical coordinator and bandleader. However, he struggled to break through with a solo career until Linda Ronstadt performed his music on her 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind. It launched a cult following that lasted 25 years, with Zevon making occasional returns to album and single charts until his death from mesothelioma in 2003. He briefly found a new audience by teaming up with members of R.E.M. in the blues rock outfit Hindu Love Gods for a 1990 album release, although no tour followed. In 2025, Zevon was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Influence Award category.
Known for his dry wit and acerbic lyrics, he was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. On Zevon's last appearance, Letterman asked him if he had learned anything about matters of life and death. Zevon said he'd learned "How much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich."
Description above from the Wikipedia article Warren Zevon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Zevon had early music industry successes as a session musician, jingle composer, songwriter, touring musician, musical coordinator and bandleader. However, he struggled to break through with a solo career until Linda Ronstadt performed his music on her 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind. It launched a cult following that lasted 25 years, with Zevon making occasional returns to album and single charts until his death from mesothelioma in 2003. He briefly found a new audience by teaming up with members of R.E.M. in the blues rock outfit Hindu Love Gods for a 1990 album release, although no tour followed. In 2025, Zevon was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Influence Award category.
Known for his dry wit and acerbic lyrics, he was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. On Zevon's last appearance, Letterman asked him if he had learned anything about matters of life and death. Zevon said he'd learned "How much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich."
Description above from the Wikipedia article Warren Zevon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Warren Zevon Filmography
| 2025 | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony · as Self (archive Footage) |
| 2004 | The 46th Annual Grammy Awards · as Self |
| 2003 | Warren Zevon: Keep Me in Your Heart · as Self |
| 2003 | Breakfast with Hunter · as Self |
| 1996 | Suddenly Susan (TV Series) · as Warren Zevon |
| 1993 | The Jon Stewart Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | Later... with Jools Holland (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | The Larry Sanders Show (TV Series) · as Warren Zevon |
| 1990 | Dream On (TV Series) · as Warren Zevon |
| 1988 | Sunday Night (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | |
| 1982 | Late Night With David Letterman (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1980 |
| 2024 | A-laget (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1992 | Two-Fisted Tales · as Original Music Composer |
| 1990 | Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (TV Series) · as Composer |
| 1989 | Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) |
| 2025 | |
| 2000 | South of Heaven, West of Hell · as Babcock |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby · as Warren Zevon (uncredited) |