Beloved country singer found dead this morning at his home in Texas!!!!!!
The actor and musician Richard “Kinky” Friedman has passed away at the age of 79.
The news was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
“Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill, surrounded by family and friends,” the announcement read.
“Kinkster faced tremendous pain and unimaginable loss in recent years, but he never lost his fighting spirit or his sharp wit.”
“Kinky will live on through his books and the songs that continue to be sung,” read the post.
Born John Friedman, Kinky attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he began his journey in music and entertainment. The exact date of his passing was not mentioned.
In addition to his artistic career, Kinky made a memorable run for governor of Texas as an independent candidate in 2006, finishing fourth out of six candidates with 12% of the vote.
A Look at His Music Career Kinky’s first band, King Arthur & the Carrots, was formed during his time at UT. They released just one record in 1966, Schwinn 24/Beach Party Boo Boo, which humorously parodied surf music.
In 1973, Richard formed his second band, Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. Though the group was short-lived, it left a lasting mark, and Kinky’s self-titled debut album was released in 1974.
In 2011, Kinky embarked on a world tour as the headlining performer. Over the course of his career, he released 18 albums, with his most recent, Circus of Life, debuting in 2018.
A Shift to Writing When Kinky’s music career began to stall in the 1980s, he turned his attention to writing, launching a successful second act as an author.
Kinky primarily wrote detective novels, often featuring a fictionalized version of himself and incorporating lyrics from his songs. Set in New York City, his character humorously solves crimes while offering witty advice, recipes, and a dose of charm. In many ways, he envisioned himself as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes with a unique twist.
However, Kinky did not appear as a character in two of his books, Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned and The Christmas Pig.
In addition to his novels, he wrote a regular column for Texas Monthly from 2001 to 2005.
Kinky stopped writing his Texas Monthly column when he ran for governor in 2006. However, two years later, the magazine brought back his column on a bi-monthly basis.
Before his gubernatorial run, Kinky also dabbled in politics in 1986, running as a Republican for Justice of the Peace in Kerrville, Texas. Unfortunately, he lost that race but remained a colorful figure in both the political and entertainment landscapes.
