Remembering the iconic country artists we lost in the 2010s

Born in 1935, iconic country singer-songwriter Hank Cochran died on July 15, 2010, after a lengthy battle with cancer. In his prime, though, Cochran was a popular Nashville songwriter who wrote or co-wrote hits like Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You” and “Make The World Go Away” by Ray Price. 

Although he’s probably best known today for his beloved breakfast sausage brand, Jimmy Dean is also credited with one of the first crossover hits for his 1961 song “Big Bad John” and is credited with giving Muppets puppeteer Jim Henson his first national television appearance, on "The Jimmy Dean Show" in the 1960s. Dean died suddenly in 2010 and was immortalized forever with the epitaph “Here Lies One Hell of a Man.” 

In 2012 the world lost its foremost honky-tonk angel in Kitty Wells, best known for her 1952 recording of “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels.” A trailblazer for women in country music, Wells notched more than two dozen hits on both the pop and country music charts, all while acting on television, recording successful duets with Red Foley and raising her family. 

Immortalized forever by the signature “Scruggs style” banjo-picking that he helped pioneer, Earl Scruggs’ influence on country and bluegrass music is immeasurable. He’s responsible for bringing bluegrass into the mainstream with “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” written for The Beverly Hillbillies television series in the 1960s, and fiercely preserving the traditions of the genre. 

Levon Helm, best known for his work with The Band, is responsible for some of Americana’s most iconic recordings, including “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “The Weight.” He died in April 2012 after a long battle with throat cancer, and his life was celebrated at a public wake at his Helm’s Barn studios in upstate New York, which attracted more than 2,000 fans wishing to pay their respects. 

In the early 1980s, the world was introduced to the upbeat songwriting of Mel McDaniel via the ridiculously catchy classic “Louisiana Saturday Night” and “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On.” An Oklahoma native, McDaniel’s music was steeped in the iconic Tulsa sound and got him his start playing music in the city. He died in March 2011 after being diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 68. 

Blessed with an angelic voice, Ferlin Husky’s version of Bob Ferguson’s “Wings of a Dove” has endured as an inspirational classic throughout the decades. He also acted in 18 Hollywood films, recorded dozens of chart-topping hits and performed countless shows across his seven-decade career before dying of congestive heart failure in 2011. 

Her distinctive voice and sharp songwriting made Hazel Dickens highly influential in folk and Americana music, but her labor activism in the state of Kentucky made her a working class hero. Recording alongside Alice Gerrard, Dickens was also a trailblazer for women in the industry as one of the few female bandleaders in the 1960s. She continued to record music in support of the labor movement until her death in 2011 of pneumonia. 

The world of country music was completely devastated in 2013 with the loss of “The Possum,” who died just a few months before he was scheduled to perform his final concert ever. Despite a tumultuous career that earned him the nickname “No-Show Jones” and an extensive battle with alcoholism, George Jones’ smooth, rich voice, his work with wife and creative partner Tammy Wynette and incredible stage presence made him an icon. 

Inarguably one of the finest voices in all of country music history, Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms” and “Release Me” made him an inspiration for today’s wildly talented baritones. A native Texan, Price stayed out on the road until he was sidelined by pancreatic cancer, which eventually claimed his life in December 2013. 

As the owner of “Hillbilly Central,” the Nashville recording studio that was home to most of the outlaw artists in the 1960s, Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser influenced icons like Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings, all of whom he appeared with on the legendary Wanted!, The Outlaws collaboration that produced legendary tunes like “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” and “Good Hearted Woman.” 

After scoring hits in the ‘90s with fun, upbeat hits like “Guys Do It All The Time,” Mindy McCready’s life had a truly tragic end. After a long struggle with addiction, public scandals and legal troubles, the singer died by suicide at the age of 37 in February 2013. 

Leftism and country music don’t frequently overlap, but folk legend Pete Seeger made it happen. Known for recording iconic protest songs like “If I had A Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” Seeger was a passionate advocate for social justice and the environment, all while plucking the hell out of the banjo. Seeger died in Janaury 2014 at the age of 94. 

If you’ve ever been to the Grand Ole Opry, you’ve probably seen Little Jimmy Dickens. Though short in stature — 4-foot-11 — it earned him the “Little” moniker. Dickens had an unparalleled stage presence that charmed audiences in Nashville and beyond for decades. He died in January 2015, just a few days after turning 94 years old. 

Rising to fame in the 1960s, Lynn Anderson really became known to music fans across the globe in 1970 with the release of her pulls-no-punches hit, “Rose Garden,” which was wildly successful on both the pop and country charts. Anderson was also an incredibly accomplished equestrian with eight world championships under her belt before her death after a heart attack in 2015. She was 67 years old. 

Charting literally dozens of top-10 records and recording the iconic “Young Love” in 1957, Sonny James drew the blueprint for the country crooner over his multi-decade career. He was also, alongside Bobbie Gentry, the first host in CMA Awards history in 1967. James died of unspecified natural causes in 2016 at the age of 87 in Tennessee. 

One half of the duo Joey + Rory, singer-songwriter Joey Feek’s battle with cervical cancer captivated the hearts of country fans. Feek’s cancer was aggressive and inoperable, but that didn’t stop her and husband Rory Feek from documenting their journey on their blog and social media, offering inspiration to people everywhere dealing with cancer. Feek died in March 2016 at the age of 40 after entering hospice care several months earlier. 

Alongside his brother Don Everly, Phil Everly brought country influence to rock music as one half of the Everly Brothers, known for hits like "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie." Everly died in 2014, following an extensive pulmonary illness. 

The unexpected loss of Merle Haggard in April 2016 — on his 79th birthday, no less — came as an extreme shock to classic country fans. A pioneer of Bakersfield sound and outlaw country, Haggard is responsible for inspiring generations of up-and-coming country artists. His legacy lives on in son Ben Haggard, who’s a talented musician in his own right. 

The loss of Eagles frontman Glenn Frey, whose signature country-rock vocals helped propel the band to global superstardom, in 2016 after a lengthy illness was hard on the hearts of country music fans. 

Frequently described as country music’s poet laureate, Guy Clark wrote hits for Bobby Bare, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Steve Earl, Rodney Crowell and more legends before he died in 2016 after fighting lymphoma. He also had a critically acclaimed solo career and released upward of 20 albums, winning the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album in 2014 for his album "Workbench Songs."

A bluegrass pioneer who’s widely regarded as one of the finest musicians of all time, Ralph Stanley died at the age of 89 in June 2016 from skin cancer. Before that, though, he was a wildly talented banjo picker, truly distinctive singer and an ambassador for the genre for people who didn’t even think they liked bluegrass. Folks who aren’t fans of the genre will likely recognize Stanley from his recording of “O Death” for the Coen Brothers film "O Brother Where Art Thou?."

In 2016, after forming one of country music’s most popular duos of all time in Montgomery Gentry, singer Troy Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash hours before the band was scheduled to perform in New Jersey. His bandmate, Eddie Montgomery, continues Gentry’s legacy by continuing to tour under the Montgomery Gentry moniker. 

One of the most recognizable faces in country music history, Glen Campbell is also one of the genre’s most prolific artists, releasing more than 70 albums over his 50-plus-year career and producing legendary hits like “Wichita Lineman” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2010, Campbell continued to record music and documented his illness in a critically acclaimed documentary before his death in 2017 at the age of 81. 

As a solo artist starting in the 1950s, smooth-voiced singer Mel Tillis also wrote hits for Ray Price, Brenda Lee and Waylon Jennings, among other country legends before his death in 2017. He’s also the father of ‘90s country favorite Pam Tillis, who inducted her father into the Grand Ole Opry in 2007. 

Even if he had only ever recorded “Tulsa Time,” the “Gentle Giant” of country music would have made his mark right then in 1978. Fortunately, though, fans were able to enjoy more than two dozen albums and 17 No. 1 hits from Don Williams, including “It Must Be Love” and “I’m Just a Country Boy,” before his death in 2017 from emphysema. 

After rising to fame in the late ‘80s following an appearance on a singing competition show, Lari White charted three top-10 singles in the ‘90s and operated her own record label. Tragically she was diagnosed with peritoneal cancer in 2017 and succumbed to the disease in January 2018 at the age of 52. 

A Georgian who had a relatively truncated country music career with hits like “I Let Her Lie” and “Too Much Fun,” Daryle Singletary’s distinctive voice earned him legions of fans who kept buying his records well after he fell out of the mainstream. Singletary’s death in 2018 from a blood clot was a true shock, and his label released a song called “She’s Been Cheatin’ On Us” just a few months after his death. 

Most fans know Roy Clark from his time on variety show "Hee Haw" in the 1970s, but his skills as a guitarist, banjo picker, fiddle player and vocalist are truly underrated. Clark died in November 2018 at the age of 83 after falling ill with pneumonia. 

A star on the rise with an incredible talent, Kylie Rae Harris’ life was tragically cut short in September 2019 when she lost control of her vehicle and was involved in a head-on collision on the highways of New Mexico.