Glen Campbell, Whose Hit Songs Bridged Country and Pop, Dies at 81

Glen Campbell, the country musician known famously for songs like “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Gentle on my Mind”, passed away Tuesday at the age of 81. Campbell’s publicist attributed his death to Alzheimer’s, from which he had been suffering for a number of years. Campbell publicly revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in June 2011. He and his wife, Kimberly Campbell, wanted his fans to be aware of the issue in case he appeared disoriented during his farewell tour.

The tour, initially intended to span a short 5 weeks, ended up lasting for 15 months and saw Campbell perform at over 151 shows. The final performance on the tour was in Napa, California, toward the end of 2012. By 2014, the disease had progressed to the point that Campbell had to be moved to a long-term care center.

See Michael Pollack, Glen Campbell, Whose Hit Songs Bridged Country and Pop, Dies at 81, The New York Times, August 8, 2017.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.