Legendary songwriter and composer Don Schlitz, known for writing some of the most beloved country songs of all time, has died. He was 73.
The North Carolina-born Grammy winner died on Thursday (April 16) “at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness,” a press release issued shortly before midnight CT confirmed. The release hailed Schlitz “among the most influential and beloved songwriters in the history of Country Music,” listing some of his classic country songs that continue to influence generations of artists and songwriters in the genre: “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest,” and “When You Say Nothing At All.” Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Whitley, Alison Krauss and many other artists recorded songs by Schlitz, who scored 25 No. 1 hits throughout his career. He also penned music and lyrics for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a Broadway musical that opened in 1999.
“Don doesn’t just write songs, he writes careers,” Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
