Country singer Joe Diffie dies of coronavirus complications

Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles like “Home” and “Pickup Man”, has died after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 61.

Diffie on Friday announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first country star to go public with such a diagnosis. Diffie’s publicist Scott Adkins said the singer died on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee, due to complications from coronavirus.

Joe Diffie, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years. His hits included “Honky Tonk Attitude”, “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)”, “Bigger Than the Beatles” and “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)”.