Chuck Girard, CCM pioneer and founding member of the band Love Song, passed away Monday, Aug. 11, at the age of 81. Girard had publicly shared in June that he had cancer. In a social media post Monday, Girard’s wife, Karen, shared the news that her husband was now in heaven.
“It is with great sorrow, yet also great joy, to let you know that Chuck has moved to Heaven and will be eternally with Jesus! He left this earth at rest and in total peace, surrounded by family,” said Karen Girard. “We praise the Lord for His great mercy and for His gift of Chuck’s music, message, and heart.”
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” she continued, quoting 2 Corinthians 5:8. “We’re grateful for Jesus who paid the price for all who receive Him. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for Chuck and held us in prayer.”
Chuck Girard Remembered for His ‘Jesus Music’ Legacy
Chuck Girard was born in Los Angeles on Aug. 27, 1943. According to a summary of Girard’s life from Love Song, he achieved two Top 20 hits after launching his musical career in his youth as part of the band the Castells. Girard performed alongside artists including Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison and even had a single produced by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
“In his early twenties, disillusioned with fame and searching for meaning, Girard immersed himself in the late-1960s counterculture—experimenting with LSD, eastern religions, and the ‘hippie’ lifestyle,” said Love Song. “His spiritual search ended in 1970 when he encountered the Christian faith at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa.”
“At the time, he was co-founder and lead singer of LoveSong, a band whose transformation from club-playing hippies to Jesus-focused musicians helped ignite the Jesus Movement and establish what became known as Contemporary Christian Music,” the summary continues.
Love Song was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, and a three-part docuseries about the band is coming to Prime Video in September. Girard is the father of apologist Alisa Childers, who is a former member of the Christian band ZOEgirl.
One June 25, Girard revealed that in the fall he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and that chemotherapy was no longer effective. “We are now pursuing other treatment options and praying for more time, but ultimately it’s in the hands of God,” he said. “Karen and I, and the whole family, are walking in total peace with the comfort of the Holy Spirit, knowing that our lives are in His hands. I’ll do my best to share updates from time to time, and as always I appreciate your prayers.”
On Aug. 7, Girard’s daughter Cherie posted an update that “things have changed quickly, and my dad is now in the final stages of his battle with cancer.”
