Country singer Joe Diffie dies of complications from coronavirus

Joe Diffie.
(Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Joe Diffie, a country singer and member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years, died Sunday in Nashville of coronavirus complications, his publicist announced. He was 61.

On Friday, Diffie revealed that he had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Singer John Rich said in a statement Diffie was "a real true honky tonk hero to every country artist alive today. No one sang our music better than he did, and to see his life and artistry cut short is beyond tragic. He was loved, cherished, and respected by all of country music and beyond."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.