Eddy Arnold: 1918 - 2008

Country legend and “countrypolitan” musician, Eddy Arnold, died Thursday morning at a care facility in Nashville. He was just days short of his 90th birthday.

Born on a farm near Henderson, Tenn., Arnold sang on radio stations in Memphis and St. Louis before having his first No. 1 hit in 1947, “What Is Life Without Love.” His 1965 single, “Make the World Go Away,” was successful on both country and pop charts, making him one of the most successful country singers ever. In 1966, he was admitted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 1967 he became the first person to receive the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award.

In the '60s, Arnold revolutionized his career and country western as a whole by adding violins to his music. Although it was met with resistance from fellow artists at first, “...within a year, they were doing it!” Arnold said in a 2002 interview with The AP.

His most recent albums were 2002’s Looking Back and 2005’s After All These Years. Joe Gallante, chairman of Sony BMG Nashville, said Arnold was talking about making another record a few weeks ago.

Arnold, whose wife of 66 years, Sally, died in March, leaves behind a son, Richard Edward Arnold, Jr., and a daughter, Jo Ann Pollard. Both reside in Brentwood, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville.

Our sympathies go out to his family and friends in this difficult time.

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