Nineties country-music hitmaker Joe Diffie died Sunday, March 29th due to complications related to COVID-19. The feel-good tunes that Diffie created continue to bless fans around the world. In all, Diffie charted 18 Top 10 singles, with the majority reaching the top five, including 1993 radio essentials “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and iconic song, “John Deere Green.” Diffie’s popular hits also include “Home,” “Third Rock From the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.”

Chart-topping country leading lady and 49 year member of the Grand Ole Opry, Jan Howard, died peacefully on Saturday, March 28th at age 91 in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1960 Howard relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, where she began appearing on the Opry. Howard would sing demos of songs including “I Fall to Pieces,” a monumental success for Patsy Cline. Howard would also team with Opry star Bill Anderson on a number of duets, including her sole number one, “For Loving You.” After a recording career with Capitol Records, she was signed to Decca’s label, landing a top five single with “Evil on Your Mind.”

Friends and fellow artists mourn the tragic losses and recall fond memories that they’ve shared and will forever cherish with Jan Howard and Joe Diffie.