Country Icon Joe Ely Dead at 78 as Tributes Pour In

Michelle Stein
Joe Ely
Joe Ely; Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Joe Ely; Jason Kempin/Getty Images

What To Know

  • Joe Ely, celebrated country singer-songwriter known for hits like “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” died at age 78.
  • Ely, a Texas native and influential figure in the Austin music scene, spent over five decades recording and performing worldwide after signing with MCA Records in the 1970s.
  • Following news of his death, fans and fellow musicians paid tribute to Ely’s legacy as a gifted storyteller and beloved icon of Texas music.

Joe Ely, the ’70s and ’80s country icon known for songs like “Honky Tonk Masquerade” and “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me,” is dead at 78.

On Monday, December 15, the singer-songwriter died in Taos, New Mexico, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Body Dementia, and pneumonia, according to a Facebook post.

“His beloved wife Sharon and daughter Marie were at his side at their home,” the statement read.

Ely was born on February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas. “He was a leader of the extraordinary parade of artists raised in Lubbock who later settled in the live music capital of Austin,” the statement continued. “Ely signed with MCA Records in the 1970s and spent more than five decades recording and performing around the world.”

In September, Ely revealed his Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s diagnoses via Facebook.

He and his wife shared the news “not to dwell in hardship, but to bring understanding, awareness and hope through the healing power of music.”

“Our story is about how music continues to lift us up,” Sharon shared in the September 9 statement. “Revisiting Joe’s recordings and hearing them brought to life again has given him so much joy, and we want others to feel that same joy too.”

As news of Ely’s death spread online, fans took to social media to share tributes. One X user wrote, “Joe Ely. The definition of a Panhandle Prince. The coolest of the cool. Rest in Peace, cowboy. You will never fade away.”

Writer and journalist Lawrence Wright shared via X, “The great Texas troubadour Joe Ely passed away this morning. I had the honor of inducting him into the ACL Hall of Fame. No one deserved it more.”

Fellow country singer-songwriter Rich O’Toole recounted on X, “We got to open for Joe Ely in 2014. He sat back stage and watched our set while sipping a glass of red wine. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. RIP Joe. You will be missed.”

Another X user wrote, “From the first time I saw him in 1976 at the Skyline Club in Austin to the last a few years ago, Joe Ely personified the Texas singer-songwriter & storyteller. His High Plains accent, lonely ballads and hard rockin’ soul were a gift to me and to millions of his fans. RIP Joe.”