Isolate the problem first. Does the distortion change with a change in volume? I would guess that there is a transistor in the front end that is starting to fail because of heat. It doesn't take much.

You have an advantage here, one channel works as expected. Take some voltage measurements and compare left to right channels. Use a scope and see where the distortion starts.

IC431 (4580) might be a suspect. Follow the audio signal in both channels.

Let us know how you make out.

Dan