Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley dies at 89
Bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley died Thursday after battling skin cancer. He was 89.
Born Feb. 25, 1927 in Stratton, Virginia, Stanley formed a duo with his guitar-playing brother, Carter, in 1946, and as the Stanley Brothers, they were leaders in the traditional bluegrass movement. After Carter died in 1966, Stanley became a solo artist. He gained a new audience when he appeared on the soundtrack for the 2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and he performed well into his 80s, accompanied by family members like his son Ralphy Stanley II and grandson Nathan Stanley.
Stanley performed at the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and was awarded the national Medal of Arts and Living Legends medal from the Library of Congress. He is survived by his wife, Jimmie; three children; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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