Billy Steinberg, Grammy-Winning Songwriter Behind Madonna's 'Like a Virgin,' Dies at 75

Billy Steinberg, the Grammy-winning songwriter behind iconic hits such as Madonna’s “Like A Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” and The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” has died at the age of 75. His attorney confirmed that Steinberg passed away in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer, just ten days shy of his 76th birthday.

In addition to these classics, Steinberg co-wrote two other No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100: Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional” and Heart’s “Alone,” both in collaboration with his longtime writing partner, Tom Kelly.

The prolific lyricist, who charted hits for over three decades, also penned The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” The Bangles’ “In Your Room,” and Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself.” His songs were also recorded by Taylor Dayne, Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, Bette Midler, Cheap Trick, Belinda Carlisle, and many others.

In a statement to Billboard, Lauper praised Steinberg as “a great lyricist and a wonderful collaborator. He and Tom had such a way of capturing the range within an emotion, from the subtlety to urgency…For ‘True Colors,’ there was a lot of back and forth which I know was hard for him. In the end, he said that I had really invented my own ‘very exquisitely beautiful version’ of the song. That really meant a lot to me. It is a special song.”

Steinberg’s son, Ezra, a songwriter signed to Sony Music Publishing, shared a heartfelt memory: “I remember my mom picking me up from elementary school and there was this urgency and magic in the air. I asked what was going on, and she said, ‘Dad has a hit.’ It was [JoJo‘s 2006 song] ‘Too Little Too Late.’ It was the first time I was old enough to really experience one of his hits, and to see the whole process — loving the demo for months, asking him every day when it was coming out, and then finally hearing it on KIIS-FM on the way to and from school. I felt this deep sense of pride and elation. That was magical.”

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011, the Fresno, California native’s career took off after Linda Rondstadt recorded “How Do I Make You,” a song he wrote, for her Mad Love album in 1980. It reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Steinberg and Kelly, also recording as the duo I-10, were a top songwriting team, penning signature songs, including “Like A Virgin,” which topped the charts for six weeks. Billboard ranked the song as Madonna’s biggest hit in 2024.

After Kelly retired, Steinberg continued writing, often with Rick Nowels, including Dion’s “Falling Into You,” which won Album of the Year at the 39th Grammy Awards.

Nowels reflected on Steinberg: “Billy began as a poet and he developed a sense for that, an esthetic, where in one sentence or two sentences you can create a whole story... He had an encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs and that’s where he and I connected... We just enjoyed each other’s brains. We enjoyed each other’s minds. We were friends to the very end.”

In the 2010s, Steinberg’s songs were recorded by Nicole Scherzinger, Miranda Cosgrove, and Demi Lovato, whose “Give Your Heart A Break” reached No. 16 on the Hot 100 in 2012.

At the Grammy Museum’s 2023 “The Power of Song: A Songwriters Hall of Fame Exhibit,” Steinberg was represented by a demo for “True Colors” and a note from Lauper: “Billy — Thanks for sending me and writing such a beautiful song. (heart) Cyndi.”

He is survived by his wife, Trina; sons, Ezra and Max; sisters, Barbara and Mary; and stepchildren, Raul and Carolina.

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