Earl Scruggs Dies; Bluegrass Legend Passes at 88
American music pioneer and bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs passed away Wednesday at the age of 88.
The musician who helped develop modern country music and is considered to be the most influential banjo player in the history of bluegrass died of natural causes in a Nashville hospital yesterday morning.
Scruggs' health had been failing for some time and his son told Reuters that his father's death was "a slow process."
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Scruggs was born in Shelby, N.C., and grew up in Cleveland County. He started to become a popular musician in the 1940s as a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.
Scruggs was noted for popularizing the three-finger banjo-picking style, which has become a defining characteristic of bluegrass music.
Scruggs shot to fame during the 1960s when he joined collaborator Lester Flatt to form Flatt and Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys. The artists were known for making appearances playing the banjo on the popular television series "The Beverly Hills Hillbillies." They also preformed the theme song for the sitcom "The Ballad of Jed Clampett."
Flatt and Scruggs won a Grammy Award in 1969 for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," a song used in the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde," and were indicted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985.
The death of the artist who helped transform country music has left many saddened by the loss.
"Scruggs' contributions to the music cannot be overstated. Few banjo players before of since have had such an impact on the instrument as Scruggs. His distinctive three-finger approach to the instrument heralded a new era in country music," wrote the Country Music Times.
The funeral for the four-time Grammy-winning musician is set to take place Sunday in Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, which used to serve as the home of the Grand Ole Opry in downtown Nashville.
