The Boot reports that Earl Thomas Conley, a hit country singer-songwriter in the 1980s, has died. He was 77 years old.
A post to a Conley fan page on Facebook also reported the news, noting that Conley “has been in poor health for a few years now.” Conley’s brother, Fred Conley, confirms to the Tennessean that the singer died at 12:20AM on Wednesday in Nashville. He had been in hospice care for several months and was suffering from a condition similar to dementia.
Born on Oct. 17, 1941, in Portsmouth, Ohio, Conley charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in the 1980s and early ’90s. Eighteen of those songs hit No. 1 — the third-most No. 1 songs of the decade, among artists of all genres, behind Alabama and Ronnie Milsap.
Funeral details for Conley have not yet been announced. The Boot will update this story with more details as they are made available.
