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“To
the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and
songs touched countless lives,” the family wrote. “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.”
Anderson's death came just days after he attended the latest
Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony, in Nashville,
Tennessee, with new members including Tim McGraw, Paul
Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers. On Thursday, McGraw wrote
on Instagram that he was “completely shook” about Anderson's
death, adding that the singer “was in such good spirits” at the
event.
“We talked, we laughed, we sang his songs that I loved so much
together, just goofing off,” recalled McGraw, who posted a
picture of himself with Anderson.
A native of Apopka, Florida, Anderson moved to Nashville after
graduating high school. Before breaking through commercially in
1977 with “I’ve Got a Feelin’ (Somebody’s Been Stealin’)," he
worked odd jobs, including helping put the roof on the new Grand
Ole Opry House.
Anderson went on to release more than 20 albums and dozens of
singles. Along with such peers as George Strait and Ricky
Skaggs, he was often identified as a “New Traditionalist,” with
a gift for bending notes. His other notable songs included
“Straight Tequila Night,” “Seminole Wind” and “I Wish I Could
Have Been There.”
Anderson was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2014 and into the Country Music Hall a decade later. His
other honors included two awards from the Country Music
Association: single of the year in 1983 for “Swingin,” and album
of the year in 1994 as one of the performers on the Eagles
tribute “Common Thread.” (Anderson covered “Heartache Tonight.”)
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