I also saw him when he was touring with Dylan several years ago. I knew his music and was very impressed with his performance. Sad to hear this. 
Man, that sucks. Damn I’m gonna miss that guy.
I stand corrected
this short article discusses Merle’s career and health struggles. He lead quite a colorful life.
Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and the great George Jones all legends of country music. Gone.
Willi Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton are the only three big names left.
One of the last of the true greats, I was just talking to my mother (who introduced me to his music when I was young) about him and his health this week. RIP
Loretta Lynn is still kickin’. I saw her perform a few years ago and she was in fine form.
There’s a story in my family that my father played guitar with Merle back in the day. I can’t remember any of the details though, if I ever knew them in the first place.
RIP Merle, I sure loved your music growing up.
Loretta Lynn’s disgusting comments about Mike Dukakis has turned me against her permanently.
My Google-fu is failing me. I see allusions to her saying that she can’t pronounce his last name, but that’s all I see. What else did she say that was particularly disgusting?
I think that was it. Many people interpreted that as prejudice against funny-sounding furriner. I think she was as much making fun of herself as backwoods/unworldly, given that she played up her own accent for the line.
Dukakis wasn’t qualified to be President because he had a funny name.
Might not want to look too close at some of the anti-liberal attitudes espoused by the late great Haggard himself, then.
Glen Campbell is still alive, although Alzheimer’s has taken its toll.
StG
Merle’s son Ben played lead guitar and sang in his dad’s band for many years. He posted this on facebook.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ben release an album and carry on the family name.
Oh, I know.
I loved “Mama Tried” and didn’t know until recently that it was autobiographical. What a talent lost. May he rest in peace and keep heaven rocking with a mighty fine band they got going up there.
Loretta Lynn just released a new album and Dolly has a number of big projects in the works, so they’re not slowing down none. But their peer group is dwindling.
When I saw him a few years ago, he appeared to have flipped on some of those attitudes. Before playing Okie, he said something along the lines that those hippies were the ones that were right.
I was lucky enough to see him at one of his last shows, last October in Pikeville, KY, with Willie Nelson.
He introduced his back-up singers with “we’re the only touring act that puts our nurses up on stage with us!”
Well, he kind of had a complex position on the whole culture war of the time, and often presented different angles of what he thought about the song when asked. I figured he was a wise enough person to see it both as a parody and a serious song at the same time.