Luke Bryan is undoubtedly mourning the death of his friend and collaborator, Charlie Daniels.
The Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday (July 6) morning at the Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. The cause of death was from a hemorrhagic stroke. Daniels was 83-years-old.
In 2013, Daniels had a pacemaker implanted after a mild stroke in 2010. Wake and funeral arrangements have not been announced yet but are expected to in the coming week.
Daniels is survived by his wife of 56 years, Hazel, and son, Charlie Daniels, Jr.
Luke Bryan’s Tribute to Charlie Daniels
“Just learning of the passing of this great man,” Bryan tweeted on Monday (July 6) afternoon. “What a hero,” he continued. “A true patriot, Christian, and country music icon. Prayers to his family. Thank you for all your contributions on and off the stage. God bless you Charlie Daniels.”
See the especially heartfelt post, below.
Charlie and Luke’s Friendship
Over the years, Daniels and Bryan have supported one another and even performed a handful of times together.
In 2014, Bryan surprised Daniels at the Fifth Annual Lipscomb University’s Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes Event. Daniels frequently donated to help the United States armed forces and their families, this event was no exception.
Additionally, Bryan was a special guest at Daniels’ 80th Birthday Party Volunteer Jam. The pair dueted on Daniel’s hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Finally, their performance quickly went viral and the rest is history.
“You just know that that guy is still on stage because he loves music,” Bryan told Sounds Like Nashville. “He loves that role of being onstage and he’s been such an iconic figure for so many years. I would say ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia’ may be one of the top three or four most biggest country songs of all time, really, when you think about how many times you really hear that song in football stadiums. You just don’t get any bigger than that.”
Bryan shared what particularly made him admire Daniels so much. “I’m honored to be working with him,” he continued. “And you know, I respect him from the way he has never backed down from who he is as a Christian man, and as a supporter of being an American and supporting the troops. I mean, he’s dedicated a huge portion of his life to uplifting what America’s about. He’s a lot of things to draw inspiration from and for him to ask me to be a part of it is a huge honor.”
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