Charley Pride Succumbs To COVID-19 Complications
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Country music has lost a bonafied legend. Charley Pride died Saturday at age 86, from complications of COVID-19.
Born a sharecropper's son in Mississippi, Pride rose to become country music's first Black superstar - and the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He fell in love with country music while listening to Grand Ole Opry radio shows in his youth and has told the story about how country audiences 'back in the day' didn't know he was Black until they came to one of his shows.
His baritone voice was featured on more than 50 Top 10 country hits and Pride's final performance was on November 11th when he received the Country Music Association's lifetime achievement award at the annual CMA Awards show. He performed "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'" with Jimmie Allen at the event, though several other groups skipped the show due to positive Covid-19 tests or exposure.
While some have suggested he caught the illness at the event, the CMA has been quick to point out that the took all precautions seriously and that they were followed to the letter. Pride is survived by his wife, Ebby Rozene Cohran Pride, three children, five grandchildren, and two grandchildren.
Source: Rolling Stone
