Popular country music personality dies at age 79

Kinky Friedman was a legend, and if you don’t believe it, just look at the headlines.

Friedman died on Thursday at the age of 79. He reportedly battled Parkinson’s disease for years.

• WANT MORE COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS? CLICK HERE.

He was a country singer. He ran for governor of Texas. He wrote books. He wrote songs. He was a satirist. In history he was called an “agitator”.

And his name… well, the guy was unique.

“Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow in his beloved Echo Hill, surrounded by family and friends,” This was stated on Thursday in a post on his X-Account (formerly Twitter). “Kinkster has endured tremendous pain and unimaginable loss over the years, but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.”

A close friend of Friedman, Kent Perkins, told the Associated Press that he “died peacefully.”

“He smoked a cigar, went to bed and never woke up,” he said.

Perkins called Friedman “the last free man on earth.”

“He was irreverent,” he said. “He was a fearless writer.”

As an artist he toured with artists such as Bob Dylan.

He released 18 albums, the first in 1973 and the last in 2018.