Libby and I were very close many years ago and ran around LA together during a particularly crazy time in both of our lives.
We met through Maria Muldaur.
I wrote “Long Hot Summer Nights” about Libby and me-we loved each other, had a lot of fun, wrote songs together, and I even cut some things on her that were not released.
She was a delightful, brilliant, one-of-a-kind human being, a rare bird indeed.
She was also visually one of the most stunning and original women I’ve ever known.
I saw her in New York years later before she connected with Fagen, when she was working at Henri Bendel (of course, those who knew her would say!) in the fur department, elegant and marvelous as ever whether she was rich or poor.
Complex and authentic. Beautiful, troubled, sweet.
Very sad to hear this.
Wendy Waldman
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I was a student at Bard College at the same time as Libby Titus (then Libby Jurist). It was certainly a magic time and place. My brother Terence and I were housed in a dorm called Potter Hall, and Libby was in our circle of friends, which included Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, Blythe Danner, Chevy Chase, and quite a few others. We all played in various campus bands at the time. On at least two occasions, Bob Dylan, in the famous blue Ford station wagon, would come by and sit around swapping songs with us. Sitting on the foot of my bed, playing my old Gibson acoustic, he sang a song he had just written, "It's Alright, Ma, I'm Only Bleeding." Libby knew him quite well from Woodstock, her home town. Her father owned a rare sports car dealership in Nyack.
Libby had a beautiful soprano voice and I often played guitar behind her, usually covering Judy Collins material. Her boyfriend and later husband, Barry Titus, an heir to the Helena Rubinstein fortune, was a frequent weekend visitor. She left school to marry him, but we all stayed friendly in New York City afterwards.
I kept in touch with her sporadically over the years, through the many changes in her life, especially when I produced her song, "Love Has No Pride," with Linda Ronstadt. When Columbia released her album, we all attended a lavish showcase for it at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I last saw her at a party at my sister's apartment in Manhattan many years ago. She was a very special person. I will miss her.
Best,
John Boylan
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You missed one. Libby Titus was also Mac Rebenac's (Dr. John's) partner for years. They lived in NYC together after her relationship with Levon Helm ended and before she fell in with Donald Fagan. She sure had good taste in musicians. All very musical cats for sure. She had a vicious vitriolic knife edge sense of humour that was extremely funny at the same time. She could have been a stand up comedian with her very own dark but brilliant stand up act. Very, very intelligent lady for sure.
Andy Newmark
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Libby and I wrote several songs together back in the '70's-80's when she lived out here in L.A. She was among the smartest, funniest people I have ever known.
Maria Muldaur and I tried to get her to employ her quirky genius to write her memoirs but I doubt that ever happened.
I'm so sorry she's gone.
Greg Prestopino
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I worked the Rock and Soul Revue shows at the Beacon which gave us a great live recording.
Libby Titus ran ( produced - in every sense of the title ) the whole thing- admired for getting Fagen out and enjoying playing, I think it gave him life.
I admire her for that.
Cheers, T.S.
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Libby Titus contributed to Donald Fagen’s great solo album from the 90s- KAMAKIRIAD. She co-wrote “Florida Room” which is a terrific jazz fusion number from that album.
Anthony Napoli
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Very well said. I knew her from her days with Levon and Eric Kaz. The guys in the Band loved her small soft voice, which in today’s world would be contemporary.
Best Regards,
Bob Tulipan
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I knew her first husband, Barry Titus, and her son, Ezra Titus... both died by suicide. Drama. Sad. But, the daughter Libby had with Levon Helm is the fantastic artist, Amy Helm. She has a fine new album out. Please give her a listen. She is every bit Levon and Libby! They would both be so proud.
X
Beki Brindle-Scala
New York
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