The album featured his song "Out of Hand", which later became a country hit for Gary Stewart. The song "Struggle in Darkness" was also a minor hit on FM radio, but the album was not a commercial success. His next album on Columbia Records, Dark Blonde (1976), also did not generate high sales, and Jans moved to Europe. When the Columbia releases failed to find an audience, his career lost momentum and although Jans continued to perform, he issued no recordings until 1982's Champion, a Don Grusin-produced album that was released in Japan only. Death and legacy Jans suffered serious injuries, especially to his kidneys, in a motorcycle accident in 1983. He died at age 36 of a suspected drug overdose in 1984. Mentor Williams's brother Paul sang "Loving Arms" at Jans's funeral. Tom Waits dedicated a song to Jans, whom he and his wife had befriended, "Whistle Down the Wind (For Tom Jans)" from Bone Machine. Waits said of the song, "It was written about another friend, but it was the kind of song that Tom Jans would have written. He was there in spirit." References External links Tom Jans – American Songwriter 1948 births 1984 deaths American folk musicians Musicians from San Jose, California 20th-century American singers American male singer-songwriters American folk guitarists American male guitarists Drug-related deaths in California A&M Records artists People from San Jose, California 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from California University of California, Davis alumni Guitarists from California 20th-century American male singers