Charley Pride, Country Music Legend, Dead At 86 After Coronavirus Battle

Charley Pride, legendary country music singer, has died. He was 86.

The "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" crooner died in Dallas of complications from COVID-19 on Saturday, his rep confirmed the news in a press release.

Pride emerged from Southern cotton fields to become country music’s first Black superstar and the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Known for his chart-topping hits including “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” and “Mountain of Love,” Pride won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971, its top male vocalist prize in 1971 and 1972 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

In 1967, Pride’s song "Just Between You and Me” broke into country’s Top 10. Between 1967 and 1987, Pride delivered 52 Top 10 country hits, won three GRAMMY awards and became RCA Records’ top-selling country artist.

Pride was one of only three African Americans to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

His last public performance was at the CMA Awards in Nashville on Nov. 11. He sang “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’” with Jimmie Allen.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to The Pride Scholarship at Jesuit College Preparatory School, St. Philips School and Community Center, The Food Bank, or the charity of your choice.