Shirley Eikhard, writer of Grammy-Award winning song "Something to Talk About" as well as a two-time JUNO and multi-BMI Award winner and Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, has died. She passed away Thursday, Dec. 15, at the Orangeville Hospital in Orangeville, ON, surrounded by friends. Eikhard was 67 years old.

The news of Eikhard’s passing was announced in a statement from her representatives. No cause of death has been publicly disclosed.

Born in 1955 in Sackville, NB, Eikhard held on to her Canadian roots through her career as a performer and writer. Eikhard’s songs have been notably covered by singers such as Bonnie Raitt, Cher, Anne Murray, and Ginette Reno. During her life, Eikhard wrote over 500 songs and released 17 studio albums.

Raitt’s version of “Something to Talk About,” released in 1991, became a massive success. From Raitt’s Luck of the Draw album, the hit single peaked on Billboard’s Hot 100 and adult contemporary charts at #5 in October of that year, and went to No. 8 on Cashbox. It placed even higher in Canada, at #3 on the RPM Top 100 chart and #4 on the adult contemporary charts. It also made the top 20 on RPM’s 1991 year-end chart. In Canada, “Something to Talk About” earned Eikhard a JUNO nomination as songwriter of the year, and later, SOCAN Classics and BMI awards. The single also earned Raitt a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Pop Performance.

Aside from her success as a songwriter, Eikhard was a prolific musician, who played numerous instruments, including guitar, piano, bass, drums, chromatic harmonica, saxophone, and percussion. In the past decade, she also picked up the dobro, banjo, and mandolin. Her last nine records, including her most recent release, 2021's On My Way to You, were performed and sung in their entirety by Eikhard in her home studio. Eikhard’s songs have also appeared in several movies and TV shows. She sung theme songs for movies The Domino Principle and The Passion of Ayn Rand.

We thank Eikhard for her contributions to Canadian music.

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