“The world lost a giant today”: Country star and novelist Kinky Friedman dead at 79
Kinky Friedman, the iconic country music star and celebrated novelist, passed away on June 27th at the age of 79. With his affecting blend of comedy and critical social commentary, fans remember Friedman as an artistic polymath and a social hero.
“Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends. Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years, but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung,” a statement issued on the star’s social media accounts reads.
Born Richard Samet Friedman on November 1st, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, Friedman moved to Texas with his family at a young age. In his teenage years, he earned the nickname ‘Kinky’ due to his frizzy hair and eccentric character.
After majoring in psychology at the University of Texas, Friedman rose to prominence in the 1970s as the frontman of Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, a country collective known for its satirical and often controversial lyrics. With songs like ‘They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore’ and ‘Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed’, he earned a name for himself as an uncompromising socio-political songwriter.
In time, such work earned the respect and friendship of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, though he never quite breached his status as a cult hero. He toured with Dylan between 1975 and 76 and, in 1983, took a break from his singing and songwriting career to try his hand as a novelist.
Friedman wrote a series of detective novels featuring a fictionalised caricature of himself as a wisecracking private investigator. His debut novel, Greenwich Killing Time, published in 1986, was a critical success, leading him to follow up with other popular titles like A Case of Lone Star and Elvis, Jesus & Coca-Cola. With his observations of popular culture, socio-political commentary, engaging plots and natural wit, Friedman also earned an enthusiastic cult following as a writer.
Friedman was also a social activist and followed his heart into politics. He ran as an independent candidate for Governor of Texas in 2006. Ultimately, the campaign was unsuccessful, but his commitment to causes like education reform and animal rights didn’t go unnoticed. Notably, he founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, which has saved thousands of animals from euthanasia, primarily dogs.
“RIP Kinky Friedman, legendary songwriter and mystery novelist and one of the funniest motherfuckers who ever lived,” filmmaker Michael Glover Smith wrote in an early tribute via X. “My wife Jill and I saw him in concert a lot over the years.”
Author Larry Sloman, who was a longtime friend and artistic collaborator: “I lost my best friend and the world lost a giant today. Kinky Friedman was the sweetest, most generous, and compassionate person I’d ever met. May his memory be a blessing.”
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