Comedian Larry the Cable Guy has joined the ranks of those paying tribute to the late Charlie Daniels. The comic, whose real name is Daniel Lawrence Whitney, shared a photo of him and the country superstar on Monday, just hours after news of Daniels’ death at 83 was made public.
“Just heard the sad news,” the caption read. “RIP Charlie.” The photo shows Larry the Cable Guy and Daniels arm-in-arm and engaged in what appears to be a hearty laugh. The comedian had previously performed at Daniels’ massive 80th birthday celebration back in November of 2016. He joined Three Doors Down, Chris Stapleton and Kid Rock for the massive concert.
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Of course, the comments section was soon overflowing with tributes to Daniels, as well. “So glad I was able to see one of his shows. He will be missed,” wrote one fan. “May he rest in peace! He always stood up for what he believed in,” added another. “Thank you for the memories,” commented a third. “God bless, RIP Charlie you and your influence will be missed.”
Daniels was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1936, where he spent his youth listening to gospel and bluegrass music and playing baseball. After graduating high school, he would go on to enjoy a 60-plus-year career in country music, earning him spots in the Country Music Hall of Fame and a membership to the Grand Ole Opry. Early on in his career, he played on albums by artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and the Marshall Tucker Band. His first self-titled solo album was released back in 1970 and was followed by 30 studio albums throughout his career, ending with 2016’s Night Hawk.
His best-known work is, of course, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a three-and-a-half-minute epic about a man named Johnny and his dueling fiddles with the devil himself. Charlie Daniels Band released the song on his 1979 album Million Mile Reflections, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard chart that year (although it did hit No.1 on the Hot Country Singles Chart). In 2003, the song CMT ranked it as one of country music’s 100 greatest songs and as well as one of the 20 greatest Southern rock songs in 2006.
