Countrymusikken har mistet en av sine store profiler. Grand Ole Opry legenden Little Jimmy Dickens har gått bort i en alder av 94.
Ifølge en uttalelse fra managementet til Dickens, døde han av hjertestans fredag ettermiddag (2 januar) på sykehuset i Nashville.
Little Jimmy ble innlagt på sykehus i julen. Han etterlater seg sin kone, Mona, og døtrene Pamela Detert og Lisa King.
Countryartister hyller nå Dickens på Twitter:
@BellamyBrothers Rest in peace Little Jimmy Dickens
@ChrisYoungMusic RIP Little Jimmy Dickens… Loved fishing with you, loved your music, and loved you as a person most…
@billyraycyrus Thoughts and prayers for the family of Little Jimmy Dickens. Biggest little man ever ! Still see his sweet smile the first time I met him.
@KipMooreMusic Just got back in the country to hear the sad news…he was always good to me. RIP little jimmy dickens…you’ll b missed
@thebandperry Little Jimmy Dickens – the first person to greet us at the @opry for our first performance. Thanks for the memory.
As the sun sets on this planet tonight, for the first time in 94 years it is without my hero, Little Jimmy Dickens.
Why was he my hero? Jimmy made more out of his time in earth than anyone I’ve ever known; an incredible life in every measurable way. Longevity? Yes, practically unheard of. Faith? Totally and wholeheartedly. Humor? There was no one funnier, or with a better sense of it. A true entertainer? The best I’ve ever seen. Charm? Unmatched. Love? This was a big one. I think he loved everyone he ever met, and if not, he never let it be known. More importantly, I think everyone who ever met him loved him instantly…and forever. Romance? He and Mona had the most romantic story I’ve ever heard. Check it out sometime. Friendship? Well I can honestly say he was the best friend any human being could ask for. Bar none.
Much will be said and written about his incredible and unique place in Country Music history. Which could fill a book. But that isn’t how I’ll remember him. I will remember the human being that best check-marked all the boxes of a complete and wonderful life. My hero.
Do not mourn Little Jim. Celebrate him. Relive and share the memories. Aspire to be like him. And above all, laugh at the punchlines, the craziness, and the way he so gracefully made this planet a funnier, better, richer place while he was alive. And in doing so, will continue to for years to come.
