Country music singer Don Williams has died at the age of 78, his publicist announced on Friday. The United States artist, Williams, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010, passed away on Friday after a short illness at his home in Alabama. “Don Williams offered calm, beauty, and a sense of wistful peace that is in short supply these days,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, in a statement issued on Friday.
Considered one of country music’s greatest singers, Williams was renowned for his rich baritone voice and distinct style of storytelling. Nicknamed ‘Gentle Giant’, Williams had 17 No. 1 hits before retiring in 2016.
Some of his well-known hits were Tulsa Time, It Must Be Love, She Never Knew Me, I Believe in You, Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good, You’re My Best Friend, Some Broken Hearts Never Mend, Till the Rivers All Run Dry and Back in My Younger Days.
The Shelter of Your Eyes, his first hit song, was released in 1973.
Mr. Williams cultivated strong fan support in India, Africa and Latin America and was one of the few country stars to tour in Africa. In 1997 he released a DVD, “Into Africa,” recorded live in Harare, Zimbabwe.
