Thanks For The Music

GRAMMY®-winning country music legend Joe Diffie passed away today, Sunday, March 29, from complications of coronavirus (COVID-19). Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles like “Home” and “Pickup Man,” has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 61.

Diffie on Friday announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first country star to go public with such a diagnosis. Diffie's publicist Scott Adkins said the singer died Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee, due to complications from the virus. Diffie, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years. His hits included “Honky Tonk Attitude," “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)," “Bigger Than the Beatles" and “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets).” His mid-90s albums “Honkey Tonk Attitude” and “Third Rock From the Sun” went platinum. Eighteen of Diffie's singles landed in the top 10 on the country charts, with five going No. 1. In his 2013 single “1994,” Jason Aldean name-checked the '90s country mainstay. Diffie shared in a Grammy award for best country collaboration for the song “Same Old Train,” with Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart and others. His last solo album was 2010's “The Bluegrass Album: Homecoming.” “Joe was a real true honky tonk hero to every country artist alive today,” singer John Rich said in a statement. “No one sang our music better than he did, and to see his life and artistry cut short is beyond tragic. He was loved, cherished and respected by all of country music and beyond.” Deanna Carter said she was “shell shocked” by the news and had hoped to perform again with Diffie this year. “He was a powerhouse that stopped people in their tracks, both on and off stage,” she said in a statement. Diffie is survived by his wife, Tara Terpening Diffie, and seven children from four marriages.

MORE ABOUT JOE DIFFIE CMA and GRAMMY®-winning country music legend Joe Diffie continues to be celebrated in hit song homages from Jason Aldean (“1994”) to Chris Young (“Raised On Country”), with a reign that includes 13 albums and more than 20 Top 10 hits to his credit. As one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the 1990s, Diffie also penned hits for artists like Tim McGraw, Conway Twitty, and Jo Dee Messina. A Tulsa native, his chart-dominating iconic songs include: "Home," “If The Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “New Way (To Light Up An Old Flame),” “Ships That Don’t Come In,” “Honky Tonk Attitude,” “Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox,” “John Deere Green,” “Third Rock From The Sun,” “Pickup Man,” “So Help Me Girl,” “Bigger Than The Beatles,” “Texas Size Heartache,” “A Night To Remember,” “It’s Always Somethin’” and many more. Recently, he released Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie!, his first-ever vinyl LP. The Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer also celebrated a pinnacle career milestone of more than 25 years as a member of the historic Grand Ole Opry.

THANKS FOR THE MUSIC JOE!