Mark James, the songwriter who wrote Elvis Presley's “Suspicious Minds” and co-wrote “Always on My Mind,” has died at the age of 83.
The Grammy Award winner, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, died in Nashville on June 8, according to the Houston Chronicle.
His family said: “Mark's legacy and passion for life will live on in the hearts of those who loved him and through his timeless lyrics and melodies that have soundtracked lovers' nights for generations.”
“He was a captivating storyteller with the kindest smile, an infectious laugh and a glow that never faded.”
Best known as the writer of “Suspicious Minds,” Mark actually released the song in 1968 to launch his own music career, but it didn't become a hit until the late King of Rock and Roll took it to the top of the charts.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in 2012 about the inspiration behind the emotive lyrics, Mark said: “Late one night, I was messing around on my Fender guitar, using a Hammond organ pedal as a bass line, when a catchy melody came to me. At the time, I was married to my first wife, but I still had feelings for a childhood sweetheart who had been married in Houston.
“It was a confusing time for me because my wife suspected that I had these feelings. All three of us felt caught in a trap that we couldn't get out of.”
The song became Elvis' 18th and final number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1999, the song, which Elvis recorded for RCA Victor Records in 1969, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
According to Mark, the “Hound Dog” hitmaker was always asking him to write more songs.
He recalls: “For the next few years, whenever I met Elvis, no matter who he was with, he would just walk across the room and say hello to me. I heard after he died that he was always asking the guys in the studio, 'Has Mark sent you any other songs?' Oh, I wish I'd known that.”
Mark was born Francis Zambon but changed his name after being told he wouldn't make it in the music industry.
He also wrote “The Eyes of a New York Woman” and “Hooked on a Feeling” for the album On My Way by the late BJ Thomas, best known for the classic “Raindrops Keep Fallen on My Head.”