Wednesday, June 10, 2026

P.F. Sloan, Writer of “Eve of Destruction,” “Secret Agent Man,” Dies at Age 70

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P.F. (Phil) Sloan, the singer songwriter responsible for songs like Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” and Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man,” has died at age 70. He had had pancreatic cancer.

Sloan was a popular figure in Nashville, and a legendary figure in the Phil Spector world as part of the famed and legendary Wrecking Crew. He also wrote the guitar into for the Mamas and the Papas’s “California Dreamin’.”

Sloan also wrote the original singles for the Grass Roots pre-“Midnight Confessions.” Jimmy Webb also wrote a song called “PF Sloan” inspired by Sloan, and covered by many artists including Jackson Browne, Jennifer Warnes, and the Association. Sloan and Steve Barri were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.


 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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