The Country Music Hall of Fame singer shaped the New Traditionalist movement with 20 Top 10 hits over his career
John Anderson, the Country Music Hall of Fame singer known for hits including “Swingin’,” “Seminole Wind” and “Straight Tequila Night,” has died. He was 71.
Anderson died on Wednesday, Oct. 21. His death was announced by his family in a statement shared on his official Facebook page and acknowledged by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend,” the family wrote. “To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more.”
The family described Anderson as “the heart of our family,” and asked for prayers as they mourned his death.
A cause of death has not been publicly announced.
Born Dec. 13, 1954, in Orlando, Florida, Anderson grew up in nearby Apopka before moving to Nashville after high school to pursue a career in country music. He signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1976.
Anderson rose to prominence in the early 1980s with a traditional country sound influenced by artists including Merle Haggard and George Jones. His early hits included “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal” and “Wild and Blue,” followed by “Swingin’,” which earned him the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year award in 1983. He also received the CMA Horizon Award that year.