Charlie Daniels to Get Police Escort Back to Tennessee Hometown: See the Route

Country music legend Charlie Daniels will receive a police escort back to his hometown of Mt. [...]

By Allison Schonter

Country music legend Charlie Daniels will receive a police escort back to his hometown of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee Monday afternoon following his death earlier in the morning. Daniels, 83, passed away at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.

Shortly after Daniels' publicist confirmed news of his death, the Mt. Juliet Police Department announced that they would escort the country crooner's body from Hermitage to Sellars Funeral Home in Mount Juliet, where he grew up. The police escort will begin at 2:15 p.m. CT and last until approximately 2:45 p.m. In a news release, authorities asked those wishing to show their support to "line Mt. Juliet Rd from I-40 to the railroad tracks during escort procession." In the statement, the police department remembered Daniels as "a longtime friend and supporter" of the community. You can view the full route the police escort will take by clicking here.

Daniels was born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2936, though he was raised and spent much of his life in the Nashville, Tennessee area. After spending his youth listening to gospel and bluegrass music, Daniels would go on to have an expansive career in country music, which started with him playing on albums by artists such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and the Marshall Tucker Band. He also co-wrote the song "It Hurts Me," which was recorded by Elvis Presley. In 1970, he released his first solo album, the first of what would be more than 30 studio albums throughout his career, with the last being 2016's Night Hawk.

Daniels, however, was best known for his 1979 song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which he played with The Charlie Daniels Band. Still considered a staple at classic rock stations, the song topped the country chart upon its release and also climbed to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart behind The Knack's "My Sharona" and Earth Wind and Fire's "After the Love Has Gone." It was featured in 1980's Urban Cowboy.

In 2008, nearly 40 years into his musical career, Daniels was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.Just eight years later, in 2016, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Daniels is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son Charlie Daniels Jr. According to a statement on Daniels' website, "funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days."

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