Country Music lost a handful of wonderful and influential artists in 2022. Let’s remember them…
Jeff Carson — best known for his chart-topping 1995 single “Not on Your Love,” died on March 26th at the age of 58. According to his publicist, Carson suffered a heart attack and died at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee. He was born Jeffrey Lee Herndon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 16, 1963. He signed with Curb Records in 1995 and released three studio albums along the way. The last one, Real Life, was released in 2001.
Naomi Judd died on April 30th at the age of 76 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A statement from her daughters, Wynonna and Ashley Judd, shared the sad news on Ashley’s Instagram account which read, “Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory.” The Judds were officially inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame the very next day (May 1st).
Mickey Gilley — known for launching the “Urban Cowboy” movement in Country music, died on May 7th in Branson, Missouri at the age of 86. “Stand By Me,” “Room Full of Roses” and “Lonely Nights” are among his 17 career Number One hits. In 1971, Gilley opened his world-famous honky-tonk Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas, which sparked a chain of the famous nightclubs. In 1980, Gilley appeared in the hit movie Urban Cowboy alongside John Travolta, Debra Winger and Johnny Lee. Gilley’s served as the backdrop for the film, which helped launch his acting career.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn passed away in her sleep on October 4th at her home in Hurricane Mills, TN at the age of 90. She was the first woman to ever receive CMA’s Entertainer of the Year award as well as Female Vocalist of the Year. Her self-penned “Coal Miner’s Daughter” became one of her biggest hits in 1970, and 10 years later it became an Oscar winning movie about her life and starred Sissy Spacek. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1962, Loretta Lynn also won four Grammy awards, seven American Music awards and eight CMA awards. She was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Jeff Cook — founding member and guitarist of the supergroup Alabama, died on November 7th at the age of 73 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. According to his spokesperson, Cook passed away peacefully with his family and close friends by his side at his beach home in Destin, Florida. Cook stopped touring with Alabama in 2018 due to his illness.
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