Charley Pride shot to fame amid the racial unrest of the 1960s, and went on to reach No. 1 on the country music charts 29 times. He became the first Black member ever inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Country music has lost one of its greatest stars in Charley Pride, who died at the age of 86 from COVID-19.
Artist Jimmie Allen, who presented Pride a lifetime achievement award and sang with him during his last performance at the Country Music Awards, is one of the many mourning the loss of the legendary singer.
"We definitely lost a legend, man," Allen said on Instagram. "For me, it feels like Superman died."
Pride shot to fame amid the racial unrest of the 1960s, and went on to reach No. 1 on the country music charts 29 times. He became the first Black member ever inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
After news of Pride's death broke, there has been an outpouring of love for the country music trailblazer.
"Charley, we will always love you," Dolly Parton posted on social media.
Reba McEntire, who hosted the CMAs, tweeted, "Pride will always be remembered for his great music, wonderful personality and his big heart."
Joe Bonsall, the tenor of the country/gospel vocal quartet The Oak Ridge Boys, told Inside Edition's Megan Alexander the industry lost a giant and a pioneer in the passing of Pride.
“People call him the Jackie Robinson of country music,” actor and musician Dennis Quaid, who is producing a feature film about Pride’s life, told Alexander in an exclusive interview.
"Charlie Pride was a great human being," he continued. "He was a great singer, he was a human being who looked at the world not with our differences, but the way that we could come together."
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