Country music legend Charley Pride performed at the 2020 Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 12 — a month before he passed away. Pride’s publicist announced this weekend that he had died of complications from COVID-19, leaving fans everywhere in mourning. While many were glad that Pride got the recognition he deserved before he passed, some worried that he may have caught the virus at the CMAs.
Pride performed “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” with Jimmie Allen at the 2020 CMAs last month, and fans will never forget the performance. Pride was at the award show to accept the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for his groundbreaking work in the genre. At the time, CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said: “Charley Pride is the epitome of a trailblazer. Few other artists have grown country music’s rich heritage and led to the advancement of country music around the world like Charley.”
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“His distinctive voice has created a timeless legacy that continues to echo through the country community today,” Trahern went on. “We could not be more excited to honor Charley with one of CMA’s highest accolades.”
Sadly, exactly a month later Pride succumbed to the novel coronavirus which has taken over a quarter of a million lives in the U.S. this year. Pride was 86 years old, with three Grammy Awards and more than 30 number one hits to his name. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and was named the CMA’s Top Male Vocalist and Entertain of the Year in 1972.
Pride was mourned by fans, friends and colleagues as news of his passing spread. One of the first to mourn him on social media was Dolly Parton, who tweeted: “I’m so heartbroken that one of my dearest and oldest friends, Charley Pride, has passed away. It’s even worse to know that he passed away from COVID-19. What a horrible, horrible virus. Charley, we will always love you. Rest In Peace. My love and thoughts go out to his family and all of his fans. – Dolly.”
Many mourners commented on Pride’s place as a Black American in the country music scene, and how he created a path for others like him to make their way. Pride himself commented on this in 1992, during an interview with The Dallas Morning News.
“They used to ask me how it feels to be the ‘first colored country singer,’” he said at the time. “Then it was ‘first Negro country singer;’ then ‘first black country singer.’ Now I’m the ‘first African-American country singer.’ That’s about the only thing that’s changed. This country is so race-conscious, so ate-up with colors and pigments. I call it ‘skin hangups’ — it’s a disease.”
So far, there is no word on plans for Pride’s funeral or other memorial services. For more on Charley Pride and all developments, stay tuned to PopCulture.com for the latest.
