The country community lost a respected member of its family on Sunday morning (Nov. 19) with the death of Mel Tillis. The genre is mourning the late country icon, as is his daughter, Pam, who shares that she is having difficulty processing the death of her father.
“I am having to process and deal with family matters, we are so grief stricken, please keep us in your prayers, we will be announcing the date for an end of life celebration,” Pam tells fans via Facebook. “I am awed and humbled by his legacy and the out pouring of love and support we are receiving.”
Many artists shared Tillis’ impact on their careers following the news of his death, including Blake Shelton. The Voice coach praised Tillis’ talent and humor in a series of posts on Twitter.
“Some of my most cherished memories are the times I spent with Mel Tillis,” Shelton writes. “Many many great memories. From fishing, to just having a beer, to him crashing my concert! He once spent an entire day at his place in Tennessee showing me all the memorabilia he’d gathered over the years where he gave me a pair of his stage boots. He even took time to talk me through some hard times in my life on a couple phone calls.”
Mel Tillis was 85 when he died in Ocala, Fla., on November 19. The Country Music Hall of Famer had battled intestinal issues since his colon surgery in 2016. His suspected cause of death is respiratory failure.
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This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TasteofCountry.com
