Billy Steinberg, American songwriter. Biography

Billy Steinberg was born in 1950 in the USA and grew up in Fresno, California. At the age of 12, he moved with his family to Palm Springs, where his father Lionel Steinberg ran the David Freedman Company— the largest producer of table grapes in the Coachella Valley. The future songwriter studied at the prestigious Cate School in California, then continued his education at Bard College in New York State.

The beginning of a musical career

At the age of about 25, he formed the new wave rock band Billy Thermal. The band signed a contract with producer Richard Perry's Planet Records label.

The first major success came in 1980, when singer Linda Ronstadt recorded a cover of a song by Steinberg and his band How Do I Make You? for his album Mad Love. The album went platinum, and the single entered the top 10 of the American chart.

In the early 1980s, Steinberg's songs were also performed by Pat Benatar and other artists. However, the real world fame came to him later.

Creative union with Tom Kelly

In 1981, Steinberg met composer Tom Kelly, with whom he began working together. The roles in the duet were clearly distributed: Steinberg wrote the lyrics, and Kelly was responsible for the music.

The breakthrough of the creative duo was brought by the song Like a Virgin in 1984. Steinberg wrote her text after a difficult breakup with his girlfriend. He decided that singer Madonna would be the best to reveal the deep emotional meaning of the song. She performed the song for six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became one of the symbols of pop music of the 1980s.

Other hits of the tandem include True Colors (Cyndi Lauper), So Emotional and Alone (Whitney Houston), Eternal Flame (The Bangles), Alone (Heart), I Drop All Night (Roy Orbison, Cyndi Lauper), I'll Stand by You (The Pretenders), as well as compositions for Tina Turner, Belinda Carlisle, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick and other performers.

Work after the breakup of the duo

In the mid-1990s, Tom Kelly retired from active work, and Steinberg continued his career with new collaborators. One of the major successes of this period was the song Falling into You, recorded by Celine Dion in 1996.

Steinberg also co—wrote the band's hit t.A.T.u. All About Us, the lead single from the Dangerous and Moving album, which entered the top 10 of the European charts and became one of the band's most successful tracks on the international stage in 2005. Later, Steinberg participated in the creation of hits for Demi Lovato (Give Your Heart a Break), Nicole Scherzinger (Don't Hold Your Breath), JoJo, Melanie C, The Corrs and other artists.

In the 2000s and 2010s, he continued to work actively in the pop industry, collaborating with producer Josh Alexander and a number of young performers.

Recent years

In March 2025, Billy Steinberg and his son Ezra, who followed in his father's footsteps and also became a songwriter, signed publishing agreements with Sony Music Publishing. The musician continued his professional activity until the last years of his life.

Death

Billy Steinberg died at the age of 75 after a long battle with cancer. His death was announced on February 17, 2026 by Variety magazine, citing the musician's lawyer, Lori Soriano.

Billy Steinberg is survived by his wife Trina, sons Ezra and Max, sisters Barbara and Mary, and stepsons Raul and Caroline. Today, his songs remain part of the golden fund of world pop music and continue to be performed by several generations of artists.