Mel Tillis, Country Music Hall of Famer known for battling stutter, dies at 85

Mel Tillis, a Country Music Hall of Fame artist known for his lifelong struggle with stuttering, died Sunday in Florida at age 85.

Tillis’ publicist has confirmed the musician died Sunday of respiratory failure at an Ocala, Fla., hospital, reported WSMV. His family plans to announce funeral arrangements in Nashville and Florida soon.

Tillis, the father of country singer Pam Tillis, recorded more than 60 albums and had more than 30 top 10 country singles, including “Good Woman Blues,” “Coca Cola Cowboy” and “Southern Rain.” Among the hits he wrote for others were “Detroit City” for Bobby Bare; “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” by Rogers and the First Edition; and “Thoughts of a Fool” for George Strait.

Although his early efforts to get a record deal were rebuffed because of his stutter, he was a promising songwriter in Nashville in the 1950s and 1960s, writing tunes for Webb Pierce and Ray Price.

In all, the Country Music Hall of Fame member wrote more than 1,000 songs and in 2012 received a National Medal of Arts for bringing “his unique blend of warmth and humor to the great tradition of country music.”

He also dabbled in acting, appearing in such feature films as Clint Eastwood’s “Every Which Way But Loose,” and the Burt Reynolds movies “Cannonball Run I and II” and “Smokey and the Bandit II.” He starred in several television movies and briefly had a network TV show, “Mel and Susan Together,” with Susan Anton.

Tillis was raised in Pahokee, Florida, and developed his stutter as a child while being treated for malaria. He dropped out of the University of Florida and instead served in the Air Force and worked on the railroad before relocating to Nashville in 1957.

“Mel Tillis was a guy who had it all: He could write, he could sing and he could entertain an audience,” Grand Ole Opry announcer and WSM DJ Eddie Stubbs told The Tennessean. “There’s a big difference between a concert and a show. Mel Tillis always put on a show … You always felt good about being around him.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Mel Tillis, Country Music Hall of Famer known for battling stutter, dies at 85."