PALO CEDRO, Calif. — Country music legend Merle Haggard, best known for such patriotic hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” died Wednesday, his birthday, at his home in Northern California. He was 79.
Haggard died of complications from pneumonia, his agent Lance Roberts said.
Haggard recorded more than three dozen No. 1 country hits in a musical career that spanned six decades, from the 1960s into the 2010s. He overcame an early life of crime and a prison term in San Quentin to develop a rugged, outlaw image that helped sell millions of records.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
