Country singer John Anderson has died, aged 71, and tribtues from his fellow musicians have flooded in, including from No Doubt frontman Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani has lead the tributes to country music legend John Anderson, following his death. John’s family announced his death on Wednesday evening and a swathe of fellow musicians hopped in the comments to share their love for him.
John was best known for his 1983 single Swingin’ and 1991 track Straight Tequila Night. Five of his songs, from across 22 albums, reached number one on the US country music charts and over the years, he was nominated for a Grammy, an American Music Award and 11 County Music Association Awards, of which he won three.
On Wednesday evening, his family shared an image of him to his Instagram account and wrote: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend. To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives.
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“To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special.”
They added tat they were “completely heartbroken”. In the comments, several huge stars paid tribute to John, including Gwen Stefani. The No Doubt frontman wrote: “We loved him!! His music is part of our family’s hearts forever!! Gx.”
In a post on X, Gwen’s husband and fellow country music star Blake Shelton added: “There is too much for me to say about John Anderson in just a statement. I am sick and I am stunned. But I am a very lucky man. I got the opportunity to find out that my hero wasn’t just the guy I hoped he’d be. He was so much more than that. John was my friend. I got to see him last Sunday and I don’t even know why but I told him I loved him. That is what fills my heart in this moment.”
John Aldean added that the late singer was one of his “all time favourites” after he grew up listening to the John Anderson albums his dad owned. “I was Lucky enough to have met and performed with him a few times over the years,” he added. “Sending Thoughts and prayers to the family. He was a great one. You’ll be missed bud.”
Luke Combs added his own thanks to John for his music, while Jake Owen said he was “pretty wrecked” by the news. Parker McCollum, who had seen John only a few days ago said he was “an absolute legend and one of the greatest to ever do it”.
John was born in Florida, but is beloved in Tennessee, after moving there in 1971. On his move, the singer told Billboard that he “was just wanting to play and sing pretty much at any level” that he could and was “blessed” to be able to make a name for himself.
His career took off in the 1970s and stayed strong throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In 2014, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young told The Tennessean that John “proved that fresh innovations were best born from time-honored traditions”. He added: “John famously gave life to Billy Joe Shaver’s lyric, ‘I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I’ll be a diamond someday.’ He was already a diamond then, and a diamond he always will be.”
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