1 6 , ▁ 1 9 5 7 . ▁He ▁was ▁ 2 7 ▁years ▁old . ▁His ▁protect ive ▁mother ▁was ▁sh atter ed ▁by ▁the ▁death , ▁and ▁she ▁burn ed ▁his ▁papers , ▁destroy ing ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁evidence ▁of ▁his ▁song writing ▁career . ▁In ▁Billboard ▁magazine , ▁a ▁Dallas ▁music ▁agent ▁wrote ▁to ▁in quire ▁who ▁was ▁handling ▁the ▁G ille y ▁estate , ▁as ▁the ▁agent ▁was ▁still ▁interested ▁in ▁bu ying ▁two ▁songs ▁written ▁by ▁G ille y ▁and ▁K rat z . ▁ ▁Leg acy ▁May town , ▁Kentucky , ▁declared ▁Paul ▁G ille y ▁Day ▁on ▁June ▁ 9 , ▁ 2 0 1 2 , ▁to ▁honor ▁the ▁song writer . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁a ▁new ▁bi ography ▁of ▁G ille y ▁was ▁announced , ▁self - pub lished ▁by ▁historian ▁W . ▁Lyn n ▁Nick ell ▁as ▁Paul ▁G ille y : ▁The ▁Ghost ▁W riter ▁in ▁the ▁Sky . ▁Nick ell ▁had ▁gathered ▁material ▁from ▁a ▁wide ▁range ▁of ▁sources , ▁including ▁hand written ▁ly ric ▁sheets ▁in ▁the ▁possession ▁of ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁G ille y ▁collabor ator ▁Carter ▁Gib bs . ▁ ▁Songs ▁" Just ▁When ▁I ▁Ne eded ▁You ", ▁cred ited ▁to ▁C ly de ▁Ba um , ▁Jack ▁Ang lin ▁and ▁John nie ▁Wright . ▁Wright ▁and ▁Ang lin ▁( bil led ▁as ▁John nie ▁& ▁Jack ) ▁released ▁the ▁song ▁in ▁September ▁ 1 9 4 9 . ▁Other ▁notable ▁artists ▁recording ▁the