Kinky Friedman — the Texas-raised musician, writer, satirist, dog lover, gubernatorial candidate and overall provocateur — died after a battle with Parkinson’s on Thursday at his Echo Hill Ranch in TX, according to a post on his X account. He was 79.
To say Friedman was larger-than-life was an understatement. His quick wit was as ubiquitous as his cowboy hat and cigar. He was often more colorful than his famous friends such as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Larry McMurtry and Billy Bob Thornton.
His persona made him a lively guest on late night shows such as The Late Show With David Letterman and The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno. He also had parts in several films, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
Friedman wrote detective novels — many of them featuring a character styled after himself — as well as a column for Texas Monthly.
In music, Friedman never had a hit record, but the title track from his 1973 debut album Sold American cracked the Top 70 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and his eponymous sophomore LP dented the Billboard 200 the following year. In 1976, he joined the second leg of Bob Dylan’s storied Rolling Thunder Revue Tour alongside Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Mick Ronson and others.
Friedman continued to release albums for various labels into the 2010s, including a few with his cheekily titled group Kinky Friedman & The Texas Jewboys.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Deadline