Kinky Friedman, a very famous American singer-songwriter, novelist, and satirist, died at the age of 79. According to People, his death had been confirmed on his official social media handle.

“Kinky Friedman stood on a rainbow at his favorite Echo Hill, surrounded by family and friends. Kinkster endured agonizing pain and unbearable loss the last several years, but he never lost his spirit or sharp wit. “Kinky will live on through his books and songs,” says the post on X, formerly Twitter. Cleve Hattersley, who was a friend and close buddy of Friedman’s, said that the musician, whose given name was Richard Samet Friedman, had Parkinson’s disease.

An Eccentric Life of Talent

Born in Chicago, Friedman is best known for his eccentric personality, quick wit, one-liners, and permanently affixed cowboy hat and cigar. He forged a particular style of country music that earned him a cult following among alt-country fans. Among his many critically acclaimed albums are “Sold American” from 1973 and “Lasso from El Paso” from 1976. He was the member of another group—the Texas Jewboys—who also spent much time on the road during the 1970s and even opened for Bob Dylan.

More Than Just Music: The Prolific Writer

However, Friedman’s talents did not stop at music. He turned out to be quite a prolific writer and published several detective novels in the 1980s and 1990s. His writing credits also included work done for Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly. So despite all his success in music and literature, people still perceived Friedman as a caring and charitable person. With his sister Marcie, he started the Echo Hill Ranch Gold Star Camp for young boys and girls. This speaks volumes for the work he had been doing to help people.

Remembered by Friends and Fans

Kent Perkins, a very close friend of Friedman’s, paid a heartfelt tribute to him on Facebook. “My great friend for half a century, Kinky Friedman slipped away peacefully at home in his sleep early this morning,” said Perkins. For all of that time, Friedman was remembered by Perkins as a “compassionate, philanthropic, soft-spoken man who devoted much of his life to serving others less fortunate.”

Perkins underscored Friedman’s wide array of friends, from U.S. presidents like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton to music superstars like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Among his personal heroes, Friedman counted Moses, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Winston Churchill. Perkins informed that Friedman sang on stage “as long as he could stand up with a guitar strapped around his neck” and then for the subsequent years “could do it sitting down”.

“Kinky taught me so much. Richard Samet ‘Kinky’ Friedman is the most honest, the wittiest, the most selfless, the most generous, and the most sincere person I have ever met. Somewhere, in heaven, I am absolutely certain there is a corner with a big easy chair, a bright floor lamp, a huge stack of biographical books, and a couple of old dogs wagging their tails to the faint smell of cigar smoke. Rest in peace, my friend,” Perkins concluded.

Legacy of Laughter and Music

Kinky Friedman has left a legacy of laughter, music, loyalty, mercy, tolerance, servitude, and wisdom. His songs shall continue to be sung, and his books to be read by multitudes of this earth. This may be the end of an era, but his contributions to music, literature, and philanthropy remain more unbeatable.

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