Singer/songwriter Randy VanWarmer died Monday of leukemia. He was 48.
Denver native VanWarmer (born Randall Van Wormer) exploded onto the pop scene in 1979 with the ballad “Just When I Needed You Most” on Bearsville, for which he recorded four albums. In the ’80s, he shifted to Nashville’s 16th Avenue Records, charting two country singles.
As a writer, he penned such hits as the Oak Ridge Boys’ “I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes” and Alabama’s “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why).” Other VanWarmer songs were recorded by Dolly Parton, Chet Atkins, Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Michael Johnson and Neal Coty.
VanWarmer’s music also reached an international audience. In the ’90s, he had a deal with JVC Victor, which issued the albums “Sun, Moon and Stars” and “Third Child” in Japan. The latter set was released in the U.K. on Elvis Costello’s Demon Records.