Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with ballads and honky-tonk singles like Home and Pickup Man, has died aged 61 after testing positive for Covid-19.
On Friday, Diffie announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first country star to go public with such a diagnosis.
Diffie’s publicist Scott Adkins said the singer, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, died on Sunday due to complications from the virus.
His hits included Honky Tonk Attitude, Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die), Bigger Than the Beatles and If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets).
His mid-90s albums Honkey Tonk Attitude and Third Rock From the Sun went platinum.
A total of 18 of Diffie’s singles landed in the top 10, with five going to numnber one. In his 2013 single 1994, Jason Aldean name-checked the ’90s country mainstay.
Diffie is survived by his wife, Theresa Crump, and five children from his four marriages.
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