Photo: Chris Hollo
Legendary songwriter and composer Don Schlitz, known for writing some of the most beloved country songs of all time, has died. He was 73.
The North Carolina-born Grammy winner died on Thursday (April 16) “at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness,” a press release issued shortly before midnight CT confirmed. The release hailed Schlitz “among the most influential and beloved songwriters in the history of Country Music,” listing some of his classic country songs that continue to influence generations of artists and songwriters in the genre: “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest,” and “When You Say Nothing At All.” Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Whitley, Alison Krauss and many other artists recorded songs by Schlitz, who scored 25 No. 1 hits throughout his career. He also penned music and lyrics for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a Broadway musical that opened in 1999.
“Don doesn’t just write songs, he writes careers,” Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Schlitz earned the Grammy for Best Country Song for “The Gambler” in 1978. The song went on to win Song of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards the following year. Schlitz won three CMA Song of the Year honors, plus the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for a four-year run (1988 to 1991), two Academy of Country Music Song of the Year honors, two Grammys and other accolades. Schlitz was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993, into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, and into the Grand Ole Opry in 2022, per the press release. Schlitz made history as the sole non-artist songwriter to become an Opry member in the Opry’s history. The Opry marked its centennial in 2025. Schlitz opened his Opry sets by joking, “you have no idea who I am,” the release notes of his sense of humor; however, audiences undoubtedly recognized his music.
“Don Schlitz's place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written 'The Gambler' or had he only written 'The Gambler,'” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement on Friday morning (April 17). “His curiosity about and concern for people fueled his empathetic songs, and his work ethic ensured that his gifts as a writer were fully realized. He wrote or co-wrote hits recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Judds, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Keith Whitley and many more. Kenny Rogers, whose voice brought 'The Gambler' to millions of listeners, once said, 'Don doesn't just write songs, he writes careers.' He also donated time and talent to charity, often rising in the early morning to sing songs to the homeless at Room in the Inn. Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”
Schlitz was born in 1952 in Durham, North Carolina. He was 20 when he left Duke University to move to Nashville, Tennessee, pursuing his career as a songwriter. The late legend is survived by wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley. The release states that the Grand Ole Opry show will be dedicated to Schlitz on Saturday (April 18), and other services for the legendary songwriter remain pending.