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Mel Tillis Dies At 85: Blake Shelton And Others Reflect On Country Legend’s Life And Career

By Rob Cotton
Published on: 05:38 PST, Nov 19, 2017

Country music legend Mel Tillis has died at the age of 85. The cause of death has been reported as respiratory failure. Tillis’s legendary career dates back to the 1950s but his career peaked in the 1970s, when he released a number of classic hit songs such as “Coca-Cola Cowboy,” which was featured in the classic Clint Eastwood film Every Which Way But Loose.

According to USA Today, Mel Tillis released over 60 albums in his career over six decades and racked up three dozen top ten singles. In 1976, Tillis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Tillis was born near Tampa, Florida, in 1932. He suffered a bout of childhood malaria that left him with a stutter that remained with him throughout his life. Tillis was mocked for his stuttering as a young boy, but later in life it became something of a personal trademark that he used for comedic effect on stage and on screen. Writing in his 1984 autobiography, Tillis explained the impact the speech impediment had left on his life.

“After a lot of years and more hurting than I like to remember, I can talk about it lightly — which eases things a bit,” Tillis wrote in Stutterin’ Boy. “It’s a way of showing people that it hasn’t licked me, so it doesn’t have to lick others.”

Tillis was known throughout the country music industry as a man of great warmth and humor and he developed many friends over the course of his storied career. Many of them are today reflecting on his passing with some words of remembrance for their late friend.

Mel Tillis has died at the age of 85. [Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

Country legend Crystal Gayle tweeted, “there will never be another Mel Tillis.”

Charlie Daniels also tweeted in memory of Tillis.

Blake Shelton, in a series of tweets, explains how some of his best memories involve time spent with Mel Tillis, describing Tillis’s death as a “devastating loss.”

“Some of my most cherished memories are the times I spent with Mel Tillis,” Shelton wrote. “Many many great memories. From fishing, to just having a beer, to him crashing my concert!”

Tim McGraw described Mel Tillis as “one of the coolest guys in country music.”

As news of Tillis’s passing hits the country world, more artists will assuredly voice their love and appreciation for Tillis, both as a songwriter and performer and as a great friend.

Mel Tillis has truly left his mark on country music and will long be remembered as one of the great legends of its golden age. Over the course of six decades, Tillis gifted the world with no shortage of classics songs and albums. Watch Tillis perform “Coca-Cola Cowboy” at the Grand Ole Opry in the video below.

https://youtu.be/wVoJeuK5slE

[Featured Image by Jason David/Getty Images]

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