Earl Thomas Conley cause of death

The country music community is mourning the death of the singer-songwriter, including Blake Shelton, who called Conley his favorite singer — and a friend.

Country music singer Earl Thomas Conley has died at the age of 77, and the loss has hit one of his biggest fans particularly hard.

On Wednesday, Blake Shelton took to his social media accounts to share the sad news with his followers and to express the extent of his own grief.

"My heart is absolutely destroyed today..." Shelton wrote. "I’m sad to report that Earl Thomas Conley passed away very early this morning."

Conley co-wrote Shelton's 2001 track "All Over Me," but like many other country hit-makers of today, the 42-year-old's admiration for Conley began long before that.

The Nashville-based star launched his career in the 1970s, and went on to release 10 studio albums and more than 40 singles — of which 18 rose all the way to the top spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

Known for hits like "Holding Her and Loving You," "Once in a Blue Moon" and "Fire and Smoke," Conley gained many faithful fans.

"Earl was my all time favorite singer, hero and my friend," Shelton explained in his Instagram post. "Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest..."

According to the country legend's brother, he suffered from a dementia-like ailment and had been in hospice care for months.

"He just kept losing ground," Fred Conley told the Tennessean. "I'm brokenhearted."

That sentiment, clearly shared by Shelton, was repeated as news of Conley's death reached other country music greats.

He'll be missed.

Even Shelton's pop star partner, Gwen Stefani, took a moment to honor the late singer and credit her boyfriend for introducing her to his music.

Ree Hines

Ree Hines is a freelance writer and editor who covers pop culture, lifestyle stories and trending news. She’s also a soul-music loving, coffee-obsessed member of both Team Cat and Team Dog. Ree lives in Tampa, Florida, and is a regular contributor to TODAY.com.

Country singer Earl Thomas Conley, known for hit songs including "Holding Her and Loving You," "What I'd Say" and "Right From the Start," died at 12:20AM Wednesday (April 10) in Nashville, his brother Fred Conley has confirmed to the Tennessean.

Blake Shelton broke the news with an emotional social media post on Wednesday. "My heart is absolutely destroyed today," he writes. "I’m sad to report that Earl Thomas Conley passed away very early this morning. Earl was my all time favorite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest ... "

Shelton scored a hit with "All Over Me" in 2002, having written the song with Conley. The news was also shared on an Earl Thomas Fan Club page and official Conley Facebook page.

Per Billboard, Conley had 18 No. 1 hits and started his commercial country music success in the late 1970s. The independently released "Fire and Smoke" was among his big early hits, but he truly began to hit his stride with songs from the ACM- nominated Don't Make It Easy for Me album, released in 1983. He was also a three-time ACM Male Vocalist of the Year nominee, but didn't win any ACMs or CMAs during his two decades in the spotlight.

Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Conley’s first love was painting, but his father had introduced him to music, so after high school and time in the U.S. Army he chose to let the world hear his voice. Merle Haggard and George Jones were early influences, and by 1970 he was visiting Nashville frequently.

Roots music website Engine 145 published a fine recap of Conley’s life in 2009, noting that a meeting with Mel Street helped launch his career. In 1975 Conway Twitty recorded Conley’s song “This Time I’ve Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me” and took it to No. 1. A failed record deal with Warner led to a more fruitful one with RCA Records. Known for his smokey voice, Conley was a dominant player in the ‘80s country music format.

By 1991, the publication notes, he’d grown disenfranchised with the business and went on hiatus. He recorded very little in the last 20 years and made only a few public appearances. Toby Keith was another artist to comment on Conley's influence on his career:

Remembering the Country Artists Who Have Died in 2019:

Categories: Country Music News, R.I.P.

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