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Country singer Mickey Gilley dies at age 86

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The Natchez, Mississippi native “handed peacefully” surrounded by household and shut associates, based on a press release issued by Farnum. He had not too long ago returned dwelling from the street after taking part in 10 reveals in April, based on the assertion.

Gilley had 17 primary nation data, beginning with “Room Stuffed with Roses” in 1974. Gilley additionally had main crossover success in 1980 with a country-flavored cowl of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me,” going to primary on the Billboard Scorching Nation listings and quantity three on the Grownup Up to date chart.

Gilley’s musical profession acquired new life with the movie “City Cowboy,” which starred John Travolta and was set at Gilley’s personal honky tonk membership in Pasadena, Texas. The film helped to popularize country-western tradition in city environments, together with mechanical bull driving, which was the main target of the movie’s motion.

In 1989, Gilley was one of many first main nation singers to open his personal theater in Branson, Missouri, serving to to show the Ozark hamlet into a significant leisure tourism city. His publicist mentioned Gilley had simply completed a ten-show street tour in April.

Gilley was given a star on the Hollywood Stroll of Fame in 1984. Amongst his survivors are fellow crossover music star Jerry Lee Lewis, Gilley’s cousin, greatest recognized for singing “Nice Balls of Hearth.”

He’s survived by his spouse Cindy Loeb Gilley and his kids Kathy, Michael, Gregory and Keith Ray, in addition to 4 grandchildren and 9 nice grandchildren.

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Quite a few artists and associates publicly mourned the lack of Gille and shared reminiscences in tributes offered by Nashville publicity agency 2911 Media.

“My coronary heart will perpetually break over the lack of my pricey pal Mickey Gilley,” American nation music singer Johnny Lee mentioned. “He believed in me when nobody else did. Shedding Gilley seems like a foul dream and sadly it isn’t.”

Nation singer T. Graham Brown additionally shared phrases of condolences, saying Gilley “lived a full life and left us with an important catalog of hits.”

“We simply misplaced an important human being,” Brown mentioned. “One of many issues that I am most pleased with is that through the years we now have turn out to be shut. The occasions we spent collectively doing reveals, cruises, or simply speaking had been a present.”

CNN’s Steve Forrest and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.

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