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Country music, southern rock legend Charlie Daniels dies at 83

Posted at 10:33 AM, Jul 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-06 18:25:00-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country music and southern rock legend Charlie Daniels has died at the age 83.

Absolute Publicity, the publicist behind Daniels, announced The Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member died this morning at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee.

Doctors determined the cause of death was a hemorrhagic stroke.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.

Many artists across social media have been reacting to Daniels' death throughout Monday.

Daniels was born in 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina, but has long been a part of the music scene in Nashville and across Tennessee.

Daniels, a singer, guitarist and fiddler, started out as a session musician, even playing on Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline” sessions.

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.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniels joined forces with Code of Vets, asking for donations to go former servicemen and woman who've fallen on hard times or have contracted the virus.

Daniels had suffered what was described as a mild stroke in January 2010 and had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013 but continued to perform.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Mt. Juliet Police officers escorted his body Monday afternoon to a funeral home in Mt. Juliet.

WTVF's Catlin Bogard first reported this story.