Country legend Merle Haggard has died, Bakersfield, California TV station ABC 23 reports. He was 79 years old. Today was his birthday. Earlier this year he was hospitalized due to pneumonia.
Haggard was born in 1937 near Bakersfield, California. His father died when he was young. Throughout his youth, he spent time in juvenile detention centers, and throughout the 1950s, he spent a significant amount of time in jail. His first single, "Sing a Sad Song," was released in 1963. By 1967, he was a huge country star with 37 songs charting in the Top 10 that year. His 1969 single "Okie From Muskogee" went No. 1 and stirred controversy for its anti-hippie sentiments.
Since the 1960s, Haggard has been a fixture in country music, recording and performing consistently over the years. Along with his band the Strangers, he's considered one of the most instrumental artists in establishing the Bakersfield sound. His last album was 2015's Django and Jimmie—a collaboration with his longtime friend Willie Nelson.
via Evan Minsker
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