Russell and I wrote for MCA Music at the same time in the mid-80s. We got to be friends, and I'll miss him. He was a very funny guy, and obviously an extremely talented singer and writer.
My favorite song of his was an obscure album cut called "Southern Music", that was on an album he recorded in Muscle Shoals. There are some youtube videos of it out there....worth a listen if you are/were a fan.