David Olney

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — David Olney, a folk singer who wrote songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, died following a heart attack while performing in Florida, his publicist said Sunday.

Jill Kettles said Olney was on stage in Santa Rosa Beach on Saturday when he was stricken. He was 71.

Olney, a native of Rhode Island, was part of the music scene in Nashville, Tennessee, for decades and had recorded more than 20 albums, according to a release about his death posted to his website.

He was performing Saturday at the 30A Songwriters Festival.

Christopher Tolkien

LONDON (AP) — Christopher Tolkien, who played a major role protecting the legacy of his father’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, has died. He was 95.

Tolkien’s life work was closely identified with that of his father. He helped edit and publish much of the science fiction and fantasy writer’s work after J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973.

Among the books the younger Tolkien worked on were “The Silmarillion,” “The Children Of Hurin,” and other texts that flesh out the complex world his father created.