Country music singer Glen Campbell passed away on Tuesday, August 8, after a long-fought battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Born on April 22, 1936, the Billstown, Arkansas native was the seventh out of 12 children and began playing the guitar at a very young age. By age 18, he joined his uncle’s band, playing for four years with that group until forming his own called the Western Wranglers.
He moved to L.A., where he became a popular session musician, playing for the likes of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and Merle Haggard, among others. In ‘61, Campbell signed his first record contract and released “Turn Around Look at Me,” his debut single. Through the following years, he replaced Brian Wilson as a Beach Boys member for a short term, then scored a great hit with a remake of Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Universal Soldier,” putting him into the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. After this, he released a number of hits, until 1975, when he best became known for “Rhinestone Cowboy,” topping both the pop and country charts in America.
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Throughout his career, he recorded 80 songs that made it on the charts, earning him nine number ones. He had 70 albums and his sales totaled 45 million records around the globe. Over the course of his career, he battled alcohol and drug addictions, which he eventually kicked, and had an on-again/off-again relationship with Texas country singing sensation, Tanya Tucker, which they eventually resolved to end. He was honored with a number of Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards, and in 2005 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2011, he announced his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and the decision to do a “Goodbye Tour,” playing his last show November 30, 2012. It was this tour that would later become the topic of a Grammy Award-winning documentary entitled “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” taking an inside look at his daily struggles with his diagnosis.
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As the Alzheimer’s Disease progressed, Kim Campbell, his wife, made the tough decision to have him placed at a Nashville long-term care facility. At his passing, he is survived by his wife, their three kids Cal, Shannon, and Ashley, and his children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, and Dillion. Our condolences go out to his loved ones at this difficult time.
References:
Country Rebel
Country Living
