Country singer Hal Ketchum, whose ‘90s hits included “Small Town Saturday Night” and “Hearts Are Gonna Roll,” died Monday in Fischer, Texas at 67.
“With great sadness and grief we announce that Hal passed away peacefully last night at home due to complications of Dementia,” read a message from his wife Andrea on his Facebook page on Tuesday. "May his music live on forever in your hearts and bring you peace.”
A native of Greenwich, New York – three hours south of Montreal – Ketchum moved to Austin, Texas in the early ‘80s and started writing and performing songs. A collection of his songs, Threadbare Alibis, was released in 1988. After moving to Nashville, Ketchum signed a record deal and found success with Past the Point of Rescue.
Ketchum was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1994. He retired from performing last year due to dementia.
“He has been battling this for some time now, but because of his love for his fans, he continued performing as long as it was possible,” his wife Andrea explained in a Facebook post at the time. “Dementia is an exhausting and confusing illness and now it’s time for Hal to stay home with loved ones.”
“So sad to hear that Hal Ketchum has gone to live amongst the angels,” tweeted LeAnn Rimes Cibrian. “We will miss you down here, Hal! He was such a talent and a dear soul.” A tweet from the The Oak Ridge Boys read, in part: “So sad to lose yet another one this year.”