May his final days be peaceful and painless.
Terminally Ill Zevon Releasing Final Album 'The Wind' Contains Cover Of 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'
POSTED: 12:26 p.m. EDT August 21, 2003 UPDATED: 12:39 p.m. EDT August 21, 2003
Classic rocker Warren Zevon's final album will be released in stores next Tuesday, and he's alive to see it happen.
That's because the release is two days shy of the date a year ago that doctors told him he had only three months to live.
Zevon's album "The Wind" was recorded over the past year as the musician battled terminal cancer. Album producer Jorge Calderon says they'd write a song and record it the next day, then write another song and record it.
Calderon says Zevon's voice never gave out, but his energy did, so they had to pace themselves.
Zevon has put his morbid sense of humor to work for the album by covering Bob Dylan's hit "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
Several rock luminaries will appear on the album, including Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles' Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt, Tom Petty, Styx's Tommy Shaw and frequent Zevon collaborator Jackson Browne.
The rocker is also tying up loose ends with the album. He wrote a song about a former girlfriend who he regretted letting go.
After he recorded the song, he looked her up and found she had moved away, married and had a family.
Zevon's son Jordan says he's upset doctors told his father he had only three months to live, but he says he's glad his dad didn't use that as an excuse to give up.
At the time of diagnosis last fall, Zevon said he was OK with the news, but added that "it'll be a drag if I don't make it till the next James Bond movie comes out."
The movie, oddly enough, was titled "Die Another Day."
Although he's most noted for his hits "Werewolves of London" and "Excitable Boy," Zevon's songs have become hits for others.
Originally appearing on his poorly received 1976 solo album "Warren Zevon," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," later became a hit for Linda Ronstadt.
Zevon is also known for being one of Paul Schaffer's back-up conductors of David Letterman's "Late Night" orchestra. Copyright 2003 by TheCarolinaChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
