‘Devil Went Down to Georgia’ singer Charlie Daniels has died at 83 after suffering a stroke. Messages of love for the man’s music and his political activism, especially against Hillary Clinton, have been flooding social media.
Don Murry Grubbs, the publicist for Daniels, confirmed the passing on Monday. The country singer is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son, Charlie Daniels Jr. He passed away at the Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee.
Daniels was best known for his 1979 hit ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia,’ which he continued to play at concert venues. Before that early hit, however, the skilled guitar, banjo, fiddler, and singer became known as a strong session musician, working with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Ringo Starr. He even co-wrote Elvis Presley’s 1968 tune ‘It Hurts Me.’
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and joined Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry in 2008. He won a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance for ‘Devil’ and would go on to be nominated five more times through his career.
Fans and fellow artists have taken to social media to mourn the legendary musician.
“God bless @CharlieDaniels. He was the soundtrack to my youth,” filmmaker Nick Searcy tweeted.
“What a hero. A true patriot, Christian, and country music icon. Prayers to his family. Thank you for all your contributions on and off the stage,” country singer Luke Bryan wrote.
Just learning of the passing of this great man. What a hero. A true patriot, Christian, and country music icon. Prayers to his family. Thank you for all your contributions on and off the stage. God bless you Charlie Daniels. pic.twitter.com/BiQ4FlAlPc
“Man I am heartbroken to hear that Charlie Daniels passed away this morning. He was one of the nicest/kindest people I have ever met. Thanks for the musical legacy u left all of us,” added Jason Aldean.
In recent years, Daniels became known to the public for much more than just his music, using his Twitter account to frequently tweet about veteran suicide and support for police.
Charlie Daniels tweeted about Benghazi, veteran suicide, abortion, Benghazi, 9/11, and supporting police officers hundreds of times, almost daily: pic.twitter.com/iXbLnjcstz
Daniels was a frequent critic of Clinton and would often tweet that “Benghazi ain’t going away!” and made other comments on the former Secretary of State’s handling of the infamous 2012 attack against Americans in Libya that left four US citizens dead.
One of his last tweets was even on the subject of Benghazi.
Benghazi ain’t going away!!
Daniels’ activism won him plenty of praise from conservatives and was quickly highlighted by many on social media following news of his passing.
This was one of Charlie Daniels final tweets. The man stayed true to himself right until the end of his life, and I respect the hell out of it. pic.twitter.com/KlsBkoex2E
pic.twitter.com/OndOhbmB23
Heaven just got a brand new fiddler and the devil is stomping mad about it @CharlieDaniels
If you like this story, share it with a friend!
