Songwriter Jack Lee dies at 71

Jack Lee, the singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer with the 1970s West Coast band The Nerves who wrote the power pop trio’s “Hanging on the Telephone,” famously covered by Debbie Harry and Blondie, has died. He was 71.

Lee died May 26 in Santa Monica after a three-year battle with colon cancer, his family announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“He never gave up on his music, to the very end,” they wrote in a statement. “His guitar, right by his side. He lived his songs. One by one they told the story of his life. Some dreams die. His never will.”

In 1976, The Nerves Lee on guitar, Peter Case on bass and Paul Collins on drums secured a $2,000 loan to record a four-song, self-titled, self-released EP in San Francisco that featured two Lee compositions, “Give Me Some Time” and “Hanging on the Telephone.”