Country star Todd Snider dead at 59
Todd Snider, the Americana and country star, has died aged 59.
Snider’s death occurred on November 14th and has since been confirmed in a statement on the singer-songwriter’s social media pages. No cause of death has been revealed, but he was recently diagnosed with pneumonia.
The message on Snider’s Instagram reads, “Aimless, Inc. Headquarters is heartbroken to share that our Founder, our Folk Hero, our Poet of the World, our Vice President of the Abrupt Change Dept., the Storyteller, our beloved Todd Daniel Snider has departed this world.”
The statement heartbreakingly continued, “Where do we find the words for the one who always had the right words, who knew how to distill everything down to its essence with words and song while delivering the most devastating, hilarious, and impactful turn of phrases? Always creating rhyme and meter that immediately felt like an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find the humor in this crazy ride on Planet Earth.”
It also noted how Snider “got up every morning and started writing, always working towards finding his place among the songwriting giants that sat on his record shelves”, which they listed as Guy Clark, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Jeff Walker who he “studied relentlessly”.
The powerful message concluded, “We love you Todd, sail on old friend, we’ll see you again out there on the road somewhere down the line. You will always be a force of nature.”
His death was announced a day after his friends and family confirmed on Snider’s social media accounts that he had been diagnosed with pneumonia.
They wrote, “He began having trouble breathing and was admitted to the hospital in Hendersonville, TN. We learned from his doctors that he had been quietly suffering from an undiagnosed case of walking pneumonia.”
The message then encouraged fans to keep Snider in their thoughts and prayers, writing, “Right now we’re asking everyone who loves Todd to hold him in your thoughts in whatever way feels right to you. Say a prayer, light a candle, roll one up, send strength, or just keep him close in your heart. You’ve carried him through so much over the years, and he needs that from all of us now more than ever.”
No official cause of death has been given.
Snider’s tragic death comes weeks after he cancelled his tour after reportedly being arrested at a hospital in Salt Lake City following an assault on him, which led to him needing medical treatment.
A message on Snider’s social media said of the attack: “Ahead of Todd Snider’s show in Salt Lake City, Todd sustained severe injuries as the victim of a violent assault outside of his hotel. Todd will be unable to perform for an undetermined amount of time. We deeply apologize for the cancellation and any inconvenience it causes.”
Snider was later arrested and booked at Salt Lake County Jail for disorderly conduct, threat of violence, and trespassing while in the hospital, but was not formally charged.
The singer-songwriter was an Oregon native who was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2021 at a ceremony in Portland. His most recent album, Crank It, We’re Doomed, arrived in 2023.
He documented his life in the celebrated 2014 autobiography, I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like: Mostly True Tall Tales.
Throughout his career, which spanned more than 30 years, Snider recorded 14 studio albums of original material, including his acclaimed 1994 debut, Songs for the Daily Planet. His song, ‘Talking Reality Television Blues’, which he released in 2019, was covered by Tom Jones on his chart-topping 2021 album, Surrounded By Time.
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