Dying on your birthday. Kind of sucks, kind of convenient for your family to remember.
Country legend Merle Haggard has done just that, passing away on April 6, 2016,
which was also his 79th. Haggard has been battling double pneumonia, the worst kind of double, for the last few months and had cancelled concerts in December and then again in January.
Born near Bakersfield, California, Haggard had the kind of childhood that
would make for great country lyrics later. Poor, Daddy died when he was nine, the house burned down and the family lived in an old boxcar. No wonder the pain came through the beauty of his songs.
Three of his finest lyrics:
“The one true friend I thought I’d found, tonight the bottle let me down.”
“No, it’s not love, but it’s not bad.”
“It’s a long way from Graceland across Jordan to the Promised Land, but Jesus finally came to lead him home.”
A former ABC National, Dallas and Atlanta radio personality, Martina O'Boyle is now making movies and covering culture in London, Dublin, and as far in Europe as the cheapie flights will take her, for Pop Culture Beast.