Charlie Daniels was a country-music legend best know to the world for his work with his eponymous band, dubbed the Charlie Daniels Band. The band’s biggest hit undoubtedly remains “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. It which has been a staple in not only country music, but the entirety of popular music, since it’s release in the late 1970s. In 2020, Charlie tragically passed away from a stroke. His son went on to detail the episode, which he described as the worst time of his life. Join Facts Verse as Charlie Daniels’ true cause of death has confirmed by his son.
Charlie Rushed to the Hospital One July Morning
On the morning of July 6, 2020, country-music legend Charlie Daniels passed away. The legendary country musician and head of the Charlie Daniels Band was 83 years old at the time of his passing. And had apparently been suffering from health problems for around a decade prior to the event. The thing that ended up killing the musician was a stroke. Charlie had already had a stroke previously, which he ended up surviving. As a result of that first stroke, as well as other medical symptoms, the country-music legend put on blood thinners. Ironically, Charlie Daniels’ son has since come to blame these blood thinners for his father’s death.
According to Charlie Daniels’ son, watching his father die has been the worst time of his life so far. Given that Charlie Jr. is nearly 60 years old himself, this is certainly saying something! Charlie Jr. has since recounted the tragic tale of watching his father die. Which began with a phone call from his mother. According to Charlie Jr., he received a phone call from his mother asking him to come over in the early morning hours of July 6, 2020. At first, when his mother told him that his father was seriously ill, Charlie Jr. feared that his father might have contracted COVID-19. This was towards the beginning of the pandemic. Charlie Jr. initially relieved when he found out that it wasn’t the virus. But this relief quickly turned to fear when he realized that whatever was afflicting was likely something even worse.
Charlie Jr. has recounted how he came into his parents’ house after receiving the aforementioned phone call from his mother and found his father slouched down in his chair. His son then had a sinking feeling, realizing that there was something drastically wrong with the country musician. Charlie Jr. proceeded to try and communicate with his father, asking him if he could breathe. With all of his effort, Charlie Daniels managed to nod and convey to his son that he was still breathing. However, it wouldn’t be for long. Charlie Jr. could tell that his father was in immense pain. And knew that he had to get him to the hospital.
Charlie Passed Away Quickly After His Arrival
It was Charlie Jr. who called emergency services, while his mother called Charlie Daniels’ heart doctor. It was that heart doctor who first suggested to the woman and her son that what the musician was suffering from was likely a stroke. The ambulance came and took the singer to the hospital, where they tried their best to save him. However, there ended up being not much that they could do.
Charlie Daniels had survived a stroke once previously. And it seems that the reason he wasn’t able to survive the second one because of the blood thinners that he had been prescribed after suffering the first one. It seems that these blood thinners prevented Charlie’s blood from clotting properly. This, in turn, caused the country-music legend’s second stroke to be debilitating. According to the doctors, they tried their absolute best to reverse the effects of the blood thinners and get Charlie Daniels’ blood to clot after the singer brought into the hospital. However, by the time that they were able to reverse the effects of the blood thinners. Charlie was no longer showing signs of life.
Charlie Daniels’ death occurred pretty fast. And it likely came as a huge shock to the singer’s aforementioned son and longtime wife. However, the country-music legend had experienced numerous health troubles before, including the first stroke that he suffered a decade previously. Charlie Daniels had suffered his first stroke in 2010. After which he prescribed the blood thinners that would go on to aid in his death. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Charlie Daniels Had a History of Heart Problems
In 2018, around eight years after suffering his first stroke. Charlie Daniels underwent surgery that meant to improve the rhythm of his heart. Besides the 2010 stroke, Charlie Daniels had been suffering health problems for a while. The singer had even implanted with a pacemaker, and it seems that he had some significant problems with his blood pressure. Charlie Jr. has claimed that his father seemed like he was doing better than he had in a long time after the 2018 surgery that was meant to aid with his heart rhythm. This makes it all the more tragic that the singer would go on to die only a few years later.
Many People Paid Their Respects After Charlie’s Passing
There are a few saving graces in the tragic story of Charlie Daniels’ death. And one of those is the fact that the country-music legend was always a man that held a very strong faith. It seems that Charlie Daniels wasn’t afraid of what awaited him after death. As Dolly Parton put it in a memorable Tweet that she made after Charlie’s passing, “the devil went down to Georgia, but Charlie went straight to heaven”.
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” remains Charlie Daniels’ most notable song. Though the song deals with the Devil and may have shocked some listeners when it was first released back in the late 1970s. Charlie Daniels himself was always a man of God. Later on in his life, Charlie even decided to take some of the cuss words and references to illicit substances out of his songs for all future performances. While Charlie’s lyrical content was never all that profane. The country singer claimed that he had changed a bit in his old age and no longer wanted to talk about smoking pot.
Dolly Parton was far from being the only notable musician in the country-music scene that came out the woodwork to pay their respects to the late Charlie Daniels. Charlie is one of the rare country-music artists that transcended time. And had become a true legend by the time of his death. And their likely isn’t a country musician alive who doesn’t count themselves as being influenced by the singer’s work growing up. Some of the modern country stars that publicly paid their respects to Charlie Daniels after his passing include Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.
Charlie Had a Long and Storied Career
Though Charlie Daniels was one of the biggest names in country music history by the time of his 2020 death. Charlie got his start as a session musician in Nashville long before striking it big with his band. During his early days in the music industry, Charlie could be heard playing guitar on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline. That album was released in 1969, and Charlie’s band started getting some attention of it’s own in the early 1970s. The group would go on to rise in fame over the course of the ensuing decade. Leading up to the release of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in 1979. Following the song’s release, the Charlie Daniels Band transcended the world of country music and became a full-blown pop sensation.
It may have seemed to the general public like the Charlie Daniels Band had achieved success overnight with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. But this couldn’t have been further from the truth. Both Charlie and his band had worked incredibly hard to get to where they were by the end of the 1970s. During the decade, there were periods where the Charlie Daniels Band was playing close to 300 shows a year. By the time of Charlie Daniel’s death, the country-music legend had played shows in nearly every corner of the world. He even toured the Middle East for American troops.
In 1980, while “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” was taking the world by storm. Charlie Daniels made an appearance as himself in the film Urban Cowboy. The John Travolta-led film proved a major box-office success, and it helped to popularize Charlie even more. The movie also led to country music becoming more mainstream in general. And the Charlie Daniels Band became the perfect gateway between traditional country music and more modern pop music.
Charlie Daniels Worked with Many Legendary Musicians
In addition to getting a chance to play with Bob Dylan during his early days as a session musician. Charlie Daniels also got the chance to play with such notable legends as Ringo Starr, Leonard Cohen, Claude King, and Marty Robbins. While Charlie was never afraid to use his voice. It’s undeniable that the country musician’s greatest talent was on the guitar. The musician could shred with the best of them, as evidenced by his band’s most iconic track.
Charlie Was a Man of Many Talents
Charlie Daniels didn’t just perform country music; he also dabbled in gospel music. The singer was certainly a man of faith, and his gospel work led to him earning a few Dove Awards. Despite Charlie Daniel’s immense success in the music world. The musician wasn’t invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry until he was in his 70s. Upon being invited, he gladly accepted. Several years later, in 2016, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Though Charlie Daniels Jr. says that bearing witness to his father’s 2020 death has been the worst time of his life so far. Charlie Daniels was a man of faith that had no fear of what waited for him in the afterlife, even if it was the Devil! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Charlie Daniels played on albums by Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen during his early career. And that he was also a gospel musician? As always, like this video to show your support. And subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
