Country singer-songwriter Charlie Robison who rose through the country charts until he was forced to retire early after complications from a medical procedure left him unable to sing, died Sunday. He was 59.
AP reports Robison died at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering cardiac arrest and other complications, according to a family representative.
The Texas native launched his music career in the late 1980s alongside his brother Bruce, playing in local Austin bands like Two Hoots and a Holler before forming his own Millionaire Playboys. In 1996, he released his solo debut, “Bandera,” named for the Texas Hill Country town where his family has had a ranch for generations.
According to AP when he was approached by Sony in 1998, Robison signed with its Lucky Dog imprint, which was devoted to rawer country. His 2001 album “Step Right Up” produced his only Top 40 country song, “I Want You Bad.”
His other best-known songs are “Life of the Party” and “My Hometown.”
Charlie Robison performs at Texas Thunder Festival 2013 – Day 1 on May 17, 2013 in Gardendale, Texas. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images For Texas Thunder)
In 2018, Robison announced that he had permanently lost the ability to sing following a surgical procedure on his throat. “Therefore, with a very heavy heart I am officially retiring from the stage and studio,” he wrote on Facebook.
Robison served as a judge for one year on USA Network’s “Nashville Star,” a reality TV show in which contestants lived together while competing for a country music recording contract.
He is survived by his wife, Kristen Robison, and four children and stepchildren. Three of his children were with his first wife, Emily Strayer, a founding member of the superstar country band The Chicks. They divorced in 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this story