‘Brilliant songs and smokin’ records’: Country stars react to Charlie Daniels’ death

Mike Stunson
·5 min read

Some of the biggest names in country music reacted Monday to the death of Charlie Daniels.

Daniels, a native of Wilmington, North Carolina, died Monday at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, according to a press release. He was 83.

Best known for his song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Tim McGraw said on Twitter that he grew up listening to Daniels’ music.

“Brilliant songs and smokin’ records,” McGraw wrote. “And always, without fail, every time I had the pleasure of being around him, he was one of most genuine, kind and thoughtful folks I’ve ever run across.”

Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry said Daniels was “the greatest American hero I’ve ever known.”

“He brought me and (Troy Gentry) to the game!” Montgomery tweeted. “I’m so proud that I got to call him a friend!! My heart is truly broken. I’m so glad I got to talk to him last week. Rest easy my brother!”

“Absolutely gutted to hear the news of @CharlieDaniels’ passing this morning,” Chris Young added. “What a life lived, and what an incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.”

Brad Paisley shared an excerpt he wrote for Daniels’ biography while sending his condolences.

“Charlie Daniels’s journey has been one of a kind,” Paisley wrote in the biography, he said on Twitter. “Equal parts rebel rouser and apostle, it’s no small coincidence he launched his career by beating the Devil with a fiddle in hand.”

“I never met a better man than @CharlieDaniels,” said Gretchen Wilson. “He was so inspiring in so many ways.”

“He was a maverick,” Wynonna Judd wrote.

“His heart. Oh my,” she added. “His passion for God & his country, it really was what made him such a gifted soul. I adore him.”

Younger country music stars shared their condolences as well.

“The country music flag is flying at half mast today,” Luke Combs wrote.

“Rest In Peace Charlie Daniels, my fellow North Carolinian,” Scotty McCreery said. “I was honored to receive NC’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award from you backstage at the Opry in 2017. Thank you for your sharing your talent and your kindness with all of us.”

“Charlie Daniels was the nicest country artist I’ve ever had the chance to spend moments around,” Jake Owen tweeted. “His music and talent speaks for itself, but boys and girls, it’s the legacy you leave behind and your character. It doesn’t get better than Charlie Daniels.”