His popularity skyrocketed through the ’70s.
But his excessive lifestyle and substance abuse caught up with him.
In the end, he died far too young — but his music and legacy will live on forever.
A true pioneer
There have been plenty of larger-than-life figures in country music history — but the man we’re talking about today might just rank among the most influential of them all. His journey, however, was anything but easy.
It was marked by hardship, and his toughest battle was the one he fought against addiction. After his breakthrough, years of cocaine use began to take a serious toll, even damaging his voice. Fans were heartbroken at some of his concerts, hearing how far it had fallen, no longer sounding like the voice they once knew.
At the same time, his personal life was also unraveling. The once-vibrant singer and songwriter grew increasingly withdrawn, even feeling uncomfortable around his own family. By the early 1980s, it seemed like everything was headed toward yet another tragic ending.
But the Texas native wasn’t done yet.
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