Don Schlitz, known for writing some of country music’s most iconic hits, has died.
He was 73.
Schlitz died on Thursday at a hospital in the Nashville area, according to multiple reports, after a sudden illness.
His story was like that of so many aspiring artists who come from humble beginnings and make it big. According to Taste of Country, Schlitz rode into Nashville at the age of 20 with $80 in his pocket.
He went on to forge a career in which he wrote such hits as Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
He went on to write hits for the likes of Randy Travis, the Judds, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Keith Whitley, Allison Krauss, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Some of the bigger hits, along with “The Gambler,” included “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “When You Say Nothing at All.”
He also had the distinction of being commissioned by President George Bush to write a theme song for his “Points of Light” program. That song, “Point of Light,” was performed by Randy Travis in 1991.
Schlitz, who was a native of Durham, North Carolina, earned two Grammy Awards and was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year four times.
During his career, he was inducted into four halls of fame: the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. — the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame — during his career.
In 2022, Schlitz was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
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