Country music and Southern Rock legend Charlie Daniels has passed. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member died Monday morning at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tn. Doctors determined the cause of death was a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 83.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
Senator Lamar Alexander said, "Charlie Daniels could make his fiddle and everybody else jump at the same time. He was a big-hearted music man with many friends. I was lucky to be one of them.
"His fans will miss him and 50 years of the Volunteer Jam. Honey and I send our sympathy to Charlie’s family.”
From his Dove Award-winning gospel albums to his genre-defining southern rock anthems and his CMA Award-winning country hits, few artists have left a more indelible mark on America's musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. An outspoken patriot, beloved mentor, and a true road warrior, Daniels parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, underprivileged children, and others in need.
The Charlie Daniels Band has long populated radio with memorable hits and his signature song, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Over the course of his career, Daniels received numerous accolades, including his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Daniels helped to shine the spotlight on the many causes that are close to his heart.
He was a staunch supporter of the military and gave his time and talent to numerous charitable organizations, including The Journey Home Project, that he founded in 2014 with his manager, David Corlew, to help veterans of the United States Armed Forces.