Billy Steinberg has died. The Grammy winner composed global hits for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston – an obituary.
The American songwriter Billy Steinberg is dead. As several media outlets reported, citing his lawyer Laurie Soriano, he died on February 16, 2026 at the age of 75 as a result of cancer.
He was at home, sleeping peacefully in the company of his immediate surroundings. Soriano told People: “Billy was an American treasure, such a kind, pure soul who gave us the most poetic lyrics that touched millions of people around the world.”
World hits for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and Co.
With his songs, Steinberg significantly influenced the pop history of the 1980s and 1990s. Some of his compositions reached number one on the US charts – including “Like a Virgin” by Madonna, “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper and “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles.
He wrote and composed “Like a Virgin” together with his long-time companion Tom Kelly. They met in 1981 and wrote hits together for decades. Steinberg described their collaboration as an intuitive interplay: he often brought lyrical ideas and personal lines with him, while Kelly developed the musical structure. Her aim was never to write specifically for specific stars, but simply to create the best, honest song possible. Steinberg believed that if the song was truthful enough it would find its way.
The lines of “Like a Virgin” were written after the end of a difficult relationship. Steinberg initially wrote the famous opening words “I made it through the wilderness” about overcoming emotional crises and the joy of a new relationship. At the time, he could hardly have imagined that this very personal treatment would become one of his biggest worldwide hits. The song, interpreted by Madonna, spent six weeks at the top of the “Billboard Hot 100” between 1984 and 1985 and became one of the most defining pop songs of the decade.
During his career, Steinberg also worked with global stars such as Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Demi Lovato and Céline Dion. Cyndi Lauper said goodbye on Instagram with emotional words: “I’m so sorry to hear that my friend Billy Steinberg has passed away. He was such a nice guy and very helpful.”
Grammy and Hall of Fame
In 1997, Steinberg received a Grammy with Celine Dion for the album “Falling into You,” and in 2011 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in 1950, he began writing poetry while studying literature in New York. In an interview with Songwriting Magazine, he spoke openly about his youth in California’s Coachella Valley. Even as a young man he suffered from massive panic attacks. Music was initially a comfort to him; As a teenager, he listened to records obsessively because the songs calmed him and helped him deal with his anxiety.
He increasingly processed his existential crisis and his inner struggles in poems. During his studies he finally realized that his lyrics could be sung – at that moment he understood that he was a songwriter. What began as a therapeutic act became a calling and ultimately a global career.
