Don Schlitz, the songwriter behind country classics including “The Gambler,” has died at 73. He passed Thursday at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness, the Grand Ole Opry said; a cause of death was not immediately released.
Industry leaders paid tribute. CMA CEO Sarah Trahern said Schlitz “loved his family, his home state of North Carolina and, above all, songs and songwriters,” and remembered him smiling with a guitar in hand. Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young called Schlitz “a songwriting great” whose presence made Nashville richer.
Schlitz wrote or co-wrote numerous hits that shaped country music and crossed into the mainstream. His breakout came with Kenny Rogers’ 1978 recording of “The Gambler.” Other notable songs include “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “When You Say Nothing at All” (recorded by Keith Whitley and later Alison Krauss). He also wrote for Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and rejoined Rogers with Dolly Parton on “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”
Born in 1952 and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Schlitz moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting. Though primarily behind the scenes, he received major recognition: ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year four consecutive years (1988–1991), induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and a rare honor at the Grand Ole Opry as the only non-performing songwriter inducted in a century.
He is survived by his family. Further details about services or the cause of death have not been announced.
He is survived by his family. Further details about services or the cause of death have not been announced.