RIP BJ Thomas
-
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bj-thomas-dead/
Grammy-winning pop, country and gospel singer B.J. Thomas has died at age 78 following a bout with lung cancer. He died earlier today at his home in Arlington, Texas.
Thomas, best known for hits like “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” announced in March that he had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. “I just wanted to take this unique opportunity to share my gratitude to Gloria, my wonderful wife and my rock for over 53 years, my family, friends and fans,” he said in a statement at the time.
Born on Aug. 7, 1942, in Hugo, Okla., and raised outside Houston, Thomas sang in his church choir as a teenager and fronted the Triumphs before embarking on a solo career. In 1966, he earned his first gold record with a cover of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," which sold over 1 million copies and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Thomas' star continued to rise with his 1968 album, On My Way, which featured the hit single "Hooked on a Feeling." The song, distinguished by Reggie Young's electric sitar intro, peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and became Thomas' second gold record, selling over a million copies. In December 1968, Thomas also married singer-songwriter Gloria Richardson, to whom he remained married his whole life.
Fake news. He married Richardson in 1968 when he was 26, so obviously, he wasn't married to her "his whole life."
