Country Music Hall of Fame member John Anderson, known for a distinctive voice that drove hits such as "Swingin'," "Straight Tequila Night" and "Seminole Wind," died Wednesday at 71. His family announced the death on social media.
The Florida native died peacefully in his sleep, according to the family statement, about seven weeks short of his 72nd birthday. No cause was disclosed.
Anderson was born Dec. 13, 1954, in Orlando and grew up in nearby Apopka. He moved to Nashville in 1971 and signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1976, releasing his self-titled debut in 1980.
His breakthrough arrived with the 1982 album "Wild & Blue" and its title track, followed by the boisterous "Swingin'," which earned the CMA Single of the Year award in 1983 and became his signature song. He collected five No. 1 singles and 20 top-10 hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart between 1981 and 1995.
A career lull in the late 1980s gave way to a major comeback. The 1992 album "Seminole Wind" led the revival. The title track, an homage to his home state, drew a standing ovation when he debuted it live in Seattle, Anderson told Rolling Stone.
He entered the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the Academy of Country Music's Career Achievement Award in 1993. The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 2024.
"One of the main gratifications is I got to live to see it," Anderson told Rolling Stone at the time. "Several of my friends were inducted posthumously."
Four days earlier, Anderson had taken part in the Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony in Nashville, where Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers were welcomed as new inductees, Variety reported. McGraw wrote on social media that Anderson was in good spirits and they sang his songs together.
In 2020, Anderson released "Years," produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and David "Fergie" Ferguson. A 2022 tribute album, "Something Borrowed, Something New," featured Eric Church, Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell and Sturgill Simpson covering his catalog.
Anderson battled serious health issues in recent years, including near-total hearing loss in 2017-18 that nearly ended his career. He told Billboard in 2020 that his hearing returned after intense prayer.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jamie; daughters Alexa Kate and Brionna Cheri; and grandchildren.
"His music will live on, but for us, his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave his family and the memories we will carry with us forever," the family statement read.