Joe Bonsall, celebrated tenor in the country and gospel group the Oak Ridge Boys, dies at 76

Joe Bonsall, Grammy award winner and celebrated tenor of the nation and gospel group the Oak Ridge Boys, died Tuesday. He was 76.

Bonsall died from issues of the neuromuscular dysfunction Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, in keeping with an announcement from representatives of his household.

“Joe cherished to sing. He cherished to learn. He cherished to put in writing,” the assertion learn. “He cherished to play banjo. He cherished engaged on the farm. And he cherished the Philadelphia Phillies. However Jesus and his household all the time got here first — and we are going to see him once more on the Promised Day.”

A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall left his gospel group the Keystones in 1973 to hitch the Oak Ridge Boys, which initially shaped within the Nineteen Forties. He noticed the band by way of its golden interval within the ’80s and past, which included its signature 1981 music, “Elvira,” its 1982 hit “Bobbie Sue” and 1983’s “American Made.” “Elvira” marked a large crossover second for the group, reaching No. 1 on the nation chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Sizzling 100.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a illness that damages nerve cells and connections which can be mandatory to regulate muscle tissues for actions equivalent to strolling, speaking and respiration. Most sufferers die inside three to 5 years of a analysis. The sickness turned generally known as Lou Gehrig’s illness after the star baseball participant was recognized in 1939.

In September 2023, the Oak Ridge Boys launched into a farewell tour that was scheduled to final into 2024. However in January, Bonsall introduced his retirement from touring, saying it was too tough for him bodily after a four-year battle with ALS. Ben James, who has carried out with Doyle Lawson and Dailey & Vincent, was introduced as his alternative.

“I’m now at some extent the place strolling is inconceivable, so I’ve mainly retired from the street. It has simply gotten too tough,” Bonsall stated on the time of his retirement. “It has been an ideal 50 years, and I’m grateful to all of the Oak Ridge Boys, band, crew, and workers for the fixed love and help proven to me by way of all of it. I’ll always remember, and for these of you who’ve been continually holding me up in prayer, I thanks and ask so that you can carry on praying.”

In June 2022, Bonsall shared on X, previously Twitter, that he “may have simply died” after struggling pulmonary embolisms.

His memoir, “I See Myself,” shall be launched posthumously in November. It’s his eleventh e-book, a group which incorporates the four-part youngsters’s sequence, “The Molly Books.”

Throughout his 5 many years with the Oak Ridge Boys, Bonsall was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Corridor of Fame, the Gospel Music Corridor of Fame, the Vocal Group Corridor of Fame and the Nation Music Corridor of Fame.

“For 50 years, Joe Bonsall was the Oak Ridge Boys’ sparkplug. He was as thrilling a performer as any who ever hit a gospel or nation stage,” Kyle Younger, CEO of the Nation Music Corridor of Fame and Museum, stated in a written assertion. “His tenor voice was excessive and clear, and his jovial spirit all the time supplied a jolt of vitality, instantly rousing audiences to return on in and take a load off. He definitely lightened our cares each time he sang.”

John Wealthy of nation music duo Large & Wealthy shared a remembrance on X. Nation music is crying at the moment,” he wrote. “Joe was an actual good friend, and somebody I appeared as much as not solely as an artist, however as a person. He’s left a legacy of unbelievable music, and countless accounts of his form heartedness.”

Nation musician Travis Tritt additionally posted a tribute to Bonsall on X, writing, “Joe had superb expertise and an exquisite character and he shall be missed terribly by everybody who knew him.”

Bonsall is survived by his spouse, Mary Ann; daughters Jennifer and Sabrina; sister Nancy; granddaughter Breanne; grandson Luke; and nice grandsons, Probability and Gray.