Joe Diffie, Wry Country Traditionalist, Dead At 61 Following COVID-19 Diagnosis
The arrival of the coronavirus to Nashville came early in March, but Joe Diffie's passing yesterday, at the age of 61 — just two days after releasing a statement about his diagnosis through his publicist — marked the first reported loss of a country star to coronavirus-related complications. An admired, early-'90s neotraditionalist, Diffie had a belated professional start but a quick breakthrough that came a few years into a wave of hard-country singers who favored naturalistic production.
Born Dec. 28 1958, arguing with his dad about the permissibility of "Amos Moses," the country-funk story-song made famous by eventual Country Music Hall of Famer Jerry Reed in 1970, his old man insisting, "'You ain't playing that rock and roll in my house.' "
