John Swenson Cause of Death Revealed: Pioneer Rock Journalist Dead at 71

Pioneer rock journalist John Swenson passed away recently at 71 years old.

Per Variety, the veteran rock journalist died last Mar. 28, 2022, Monday at his home in Brooklyn, New York.

John Swenson's cause of death is attributed to his cancer, which he has been battling for several years already.

John's wife, Barbara Mathe, and brother Edward, who he both left, will carry on the lasting legacy of his work in journalism and music.

John Swanson's Pioneering Work in Rock Journalism

The late journalist John Swenson started his journalism work around 1967. During this era, in the late 60s and early 70s, he was one of the most esteemed journalists in the music industry.

Swenson's work spanned prominent publications such as Crawdaddy, Rolling Stone, Zoo World, Circus, Beetle, Rock World, and the Sounds and the Village Voice.

Through the years, Swenson has proven that his career has flourished as his articles were also published in Musician, Spin, UPI, Reuters, Saturday Review, Stereophile, and High Times.

He also became an editor and contributor at Offbeat Magazine, a Jazz music publication in New Orleans.

One of Swenson's most notable works, the original "Rolling Stone Record Guide," is basically a collector's item. He has collaborated with famed music critic Dave Marsh on the work.

Serving as an editor for "The Rolling Stone Jazz and Blues Album Guide,"

He also published several books like the "New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans," which narrates the "soul-shaking aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."

Swenson also penned biographies of music's biggest names, including the Eagles, Who, KISS, Bill Haley, and Stevie Wonder.

Jazz Community Paid Tributes to John Swenson

John Swenson's friend Ken Franckling, a member of the Jazz Journalist Association, reflected on the pioneer's death.

To Franckling, Swenson was "a mentor, colleague, and friend to legions of his peers.

"He was an affable, non-judgmental presence - with a hearty laugh, untamed beard and what he called the world's largest collection of Hawaiian shirts. He never drove a car, but was always happy to ride shotgun," he elaborated.

For Critic Wayne Robins, Swenson was the only music journalist he knew that could explain the "Daily Racing Form," a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois.

"John's valiant battle against cancer added years, maybe even a decade, to his life, against longer odds than any he ever parlayed in a Daily Double," the critic recounted.