Billy Steinberg, an American songwriter known for “Like a Virgin,” died on February 16, 2026, at age 75.
Born William Endfield Steinberg in Fresno, California, he achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly. Together they wrote or co-wrote No.
1 hits including Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Heart’s version of “Alone,” Whitney Houston’s “So Emotional” and the Bangles’ “Eternal Flame.” Steinberg also worked with other songwriters later in his career and wrote or co-wrote songs including “Falling into You,” “One & One,” “All About Us,” “Too Little Too Late,” “Over It” and “Give Your Heart a Break.”
William Endfield Steinberg (February 26, 1950 – February 16, 2026) was an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly, together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits “Like a Virgin” by Madonna (1984), “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper (1986), “Alone” (covered by Heart in 1987), “So Emotional” by Whitney Houston (1987) and “Eternal Flame” (co-written with Susanna Hoffs and recorded by the Bangles in 1989). Steinberg and Kelly also wrote or co-wrote the hit songs “I Drove All Night” (recorded by various artists, initially recorded by Roy Orbison in 1987 but first released by Lauper in 1989), “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls (1990) and “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders (1994).