During the 1990s, Joe Diffie was one of Country Music's biggest stars. Many of his songs would reach Billboard's top 10 for country songs. Among them were several number one hits, as noted by The Sacramento Bee. Diffie also helped write songs that were recorded for other artists, including Tim McGraw.
Just days ago, Diffie announced that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19. He said he was in the care of medical professionals. Diffie also told people to be 'vigilant, cautious and careful during this pandemic.'
Diffie has died from complications of the virus
Two days after releasing his statement, CNN reports that Joe Diffie died of COVID-19 complications.
He was in Nashville, Tennessee at the time, where he had apparently also been receiving his medical treatment.
After the news spread, other country music artists took to Twitter expressing their sadness. They include Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith and Travis Tritt. The reactions also weren't limited to Diffie's fellow country music artists. Rock musician Gaven DeGraw wrote, 'Farewell to the great Joe Diffie. We'll see you on the other side Pickup Man.' "Pickup Man" was one of Diffie's biggest hit songs, released in 1994.
For around a year before he died, Diffie was working as a radio host. He'd been headlining a midday show for KXBL, based out of his native Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Diffie was 61 years old at the time of his death.
Being passed 60 years of age put Diffie in a higher risk group in regards to the dangers of COVID-19. The virus has to this point also been statistically posed more of a threat to men. It's currently unclear if Diffie had other health conditions that might've made him more vulnerable to the novel Coronavirus. Of course, it's also possible that none of this had anything to do with Diffie's passing from the virus.
It's been deadly for other demographics as well.
Was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years
Diffie's singing career was arguably at its zenith during the mid-1990s. In 1994, he released the album "Third Rock from the Sun". The album would be considered his most successful. It spawned to number one hits, as well as another single that reached number two on Billboard.
That year, Diffie also became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, one of country music's most prestigious honors.
The year before, Diffie was nominated for a Grammy Award for the song "Not Too Much to Ask". It was a duet with Mary Chapin Carpenter. The award would end up going to Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt for "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'". Later in 1993, Diffie and several other artists won a Country Music Association Award for "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". The category was Vocal Event of the Year.
Diffie would eventually win a Grammy Award in 1998. He was part of a group that released "Same Old Train". It won the award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. In 2001, Diffie quietly released the song "My Give a Damn's Busted", which he also co-wrote. The song later became one of the biggest hits of 2005, when it was released as a singly by Jo Dee Messina. In 2002, he became a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
