John Anderson, Five-Time Country No. 1 Artist, Dies at 71
John Anderson, the American country singer whose songs reached No. 1 on the US country charts five times, died on October 21, 2026, at the age of 71. Variety reported the date, and the Guardian reported his age.
His family announced the death on Wednesday across their social media accounts. The announcement, which appeared on his official Facebook page, was accompanied by a photo of him performing. It called him "the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special."
Anderson's career spanned nearly 50 years. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in the summer of 1972, and signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1976, according to his official website. He released his debut single in 1975 and broke through in 1977 with "I've Got a Feelin' (Somebody's Been Stealin')."
His chart success later included three songs that reached No. 1 on the country charts: "Wild and Blue," "Black Sheep" and "Swingin'." "Swingin'," which he co-wrote with Lionel Delmore, was also his only hit on the US pop chart. Fans and news outlets often cited "Seminole Wind" and "Straight Tequila Night" as among his best-known songs.
In 1981 his single "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)" earned him a Grammy nomination for best male vocal country performance, his only nomination from the awards. Anderson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024 and is also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Before his recording success, Anderson worked as a roofer on the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville venue that is home to the long-running country radio show. He recorded 22 studio albums. His most recent, Years, came out in 2020 and was made with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.
In 2017 Anderson was hospitalised with a non-cancerous tumour that caused almost total hearing loss. His family's statement did not refer to that illness, and it did not give a cause of death.
