Very sad news today.

The press is reporting that Warren Zevon, who struggled with terminal cancer while finishing his latest album, The Wind, died Sunday in his sleep at his home in West Hollywood, Calif., a spokesman said. Zevon was 56. He was the author of such wry tunes as Werewolves of London and I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

I don't know what Zevon's politics were. He was probably a liberal. But his music and tough-guy lyrics were tailor made for conservatives, being full of (as one of his best songs put it) "Lawyers, Guns and Money." While other artists in the 1970s were singing of peace, love and understanding, Zevon was gleefully writing songs about solidiers parachuting into third world countries for a little "Jungle Work." Writing about boxing in "Boom Boom Mancini," Zevon summed up the warrior aesthetic of the sport, with lyrics as blunt as "the name of the game is be hit and hit back."

With the exception of "Werewolves," Zevon never had a lot of wide-spread success as a singer. However, as a song-writer, Zevon was widely respected by his peers, with his songs being covered by such diverse artists as Linda Rondstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Meat Loaf and the Grateful Dead. In fact, Zevon was so respected that no less a luminary than Bob Dylan took to covering Zevon songs in concert, including "Accidentally like a Martyr," "Mutineer," and the ubiquitous "Werewolves." Zevon considered this late fact a special honor, telling the New York Times, ''There are levels past which things no longer connect...There's nothing to relate them to; there's no way to really analyze them. To hear Dylan sing not just one song, but another. . . . It's a big thrill, but beyond the honor, it's just so strange, beyond even computing.''

Like a lot of truly great artists, it looks like only death may bring Zevon the following he deserved in life, after laboring as a cult figure for over twenty years after "Werewolves," Billboard is reporting that his final album, the beautiful "Wind," with its self-aware cover of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," entered the charts at Number 16 and has gone to Number One at Amazon.com.

Still, Zevon apparently had few regrets. Appearing on David Letterman last October, Zevon was asked if he had any "great insights" about dying that he wanted to share with his fans. Rather than launch into a long, self-pitying sermon, Zevon chucked and said "...Enjoy Every Sandwich."

Sleep Well, Warren.