Linda Ronstadt might not get paid for HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

However, like many other legacy artists, including the Beach Boys and the recently deceased David Crosby, Ronstadt sold off the rights to much of her music to Iconic Artists Group, owned by longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff. There’s a chance that she still may receive some streaming royalty payments, as the details of the deal were not disclosed. However, she was not credited as a writer on the original song, so she would not qualify for a sync publishing fee from HBO Max.

It’s no surprise that the show sparked such a surge in popularity for Ronstadt. “The Last of Us” is the latest HBO drama to take the world by storm. Based on a 2013 video game of the same name, the show follows a pair of unlikely companions (Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey — who both got their big breaks on another HBO megahit) as they traverse the ruins of the United States following a zombie apocalypse. 

Since it debuted Jan. 15, “The Last of Us” has quickly become one of the most popular shows on television. The show increased in viewership by 22% between its first and second episode — the largest jump for a drama in HBO history.

The third episode, which features phenomenal performances from Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) and Murray Bartlett (“White Lotus”), has been hailed as an early frontrunner for the best television episode of the year. In the episode, which borrows its title from the Ronstadt song, Bartlett and Offerman’s characters strike up a sudden connection over the song. Both attempt to cover “Long, Long Time” on the piano early on in the episode before Ronstadt’s version returns for the final scene and continues to play as the credits roll. 

While the episode in question takes places in post-apocalyptic New England, Ronstadt has lived in San Francisco on-and-off since the 1990s. She’s also been romantically linked to a pair Bay Area celebrities: former California Gov. Jerry Brown and “Star Wars” director George Lucas.

Ronstadt retired from singing in the 2010s following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. She mostly lives a quiet life with her family in San Francisco’s Sea Cliff neighborhood, but she’s returned to the public eye recently thanks to a 2019 documentary, a 2022 memoir and now her song’s inclusion in 2023’s buzziest TV series.