Grammy-Winning Country Singer Dies After Concert: Jo-El Sonnier Dead at 77

The five-time Grammy nominee was known for country hits like 'No More One More Time' and 'Tear Stained Letter.'

By Allison Schonter

Grammy-winning country and Cajun singer Jo-El Sonnier has died. Sonnier passed away while on tour in Texas after suffering cardiac arrest following a show at the Llano Country Opry in Llano on Saturday, Jan. 13, country music promoter Tracy Pitcox confirmed in a post on his Facebook account Sunday. Sonnier was 77.

According to Pitcox, the musician "had just completed an incredible show" at the Texas venue, where he performed for "over an hour." After ending the performance with his signature 'Tear Stained Letter,' Pitcox said he "received a standing ovation and I asked him to do 'Jambalaya' as an encore. He performed a rousing rendition of that classic." Pitcox said that as Sonnier was getting ready to sign autographs, he said he "needed to rest for just a few minutes... Unfortunately, he suffered cardiac arrest and was air flighted to Austin where he was pronounced deceased."

"It is never easy to lose a legend, but he truly spent his final day doing what he loved-entertaining his fans with his loving wife Bobbye by his side," Pitcox wrote in the tribute. Prior to his passing, Sonnier shared a post to Instagram sharing that he arrived in Brady, Texas and was planning to take his wife Bobbye out to dinner in Texas.

Born to a French-speaking family in Rayne, Louisiana in 1946, Sonnier showed an interest in music early on and began to play the accordion by the age of 3. By the time he was 6, Sonnier had performed on the radio, and by 11, he was making his first music recordings. As a teen, he recorded several songs and albums independently, going on to sign as a country artist with Mercury Nashville in the 1970s, though he later moved to recording Cajun music on the independent Rounder Records label.

Sonnier returned to country music in the 1980s, signing to RCA Records. He went on to hit singles like "No More One More Time" and "Tear Stained Letter," a cover of British singer Richard Thompson's song, in 1988. Both songs landed in the Top 10 on the country charts. His other hits include "Come On Joe" "I've Been Around Enough To Know," and "Raining In My Heart." Sonnier moved to Capitol Records in the 1990s before making the return to Cajun music at Rounder Records.

Throughout his decades-long career, Sonnier earned numerous accolades. He received five Grammy nominations, taking home the award for Best Regional Roots Album, for The Legacy, in 2015. In 2009, he was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Outside of his music career, Sonnier, along with his sister-in-law Shirley Strange-Allen, leased a children's book titled The Little Boy Under the Wagon in 2017. He also made a brief cameo appearance as a member of a dance band in the third episode of the HBO crime series True Detective.

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