Kinky Friedman, the famous country music star, is dead at age 79.
The artist’s X (formerly Twitter) page released a statement regarding his death.
“Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends,” the statement read. “Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.”
According to Friedman’s friend Cleve Hattersley, the musician suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
“He was a communicator. An unusual, but very pointed and poignant communicator,” Hattersley told the Texas Tribune. “He could bring you to tears on stage. He could make you roll on the floor in laughter.”
Country Legend Kinky Friedman Dead at 79
The country music star was not only a beloved singer, but he also ran for governor as an independent against Rick Perry in 2006.
“Kinky Friedman was a larger-than-life Texas icon and will be remembered as one of the most interesting personalities in Texas politics,” Perry said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “Kinky’s run for governor in 2006 made an otherwise grueling campaign cycle actually fun. May he rest easy after a life lived to the fullest.”
Another one of his friends, Kent Perkins, shared a heartwarming sentiment about Friedman.
“He has been described as a provocateur, and it’s not in a negative way,” Perkins said. “His objective was to provoke thought to make people think.”
“Anyone that wanted to befriend him, he was kind to; he didn’t shut people out even when many others did,” Perkins added. “Kinky was adored and loved in the entertainment industry by giants.”
Perkins also shared his own personal Facebook post about the loss of his dear friend, noting that he “learned a lot from Kinky. I never met a more honest, witty, selfless, generous, or sincere person than Richard Samet ‘Kinky’ Friedman,'” he wrote.
“Somewhere in heaven, I’m sure there’s a quiet corner with a big easy chair, a bright floor lamp, a big stack of biographical books, and a few old dogs wagging their tails to the faint smell of cigar smoke,” Perkins concluded. “Rest in peace, my friend.”