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How did Tom T Hall die? Country music's 'best storyteller' dies at 85

A user tweeted, 'Listening to Tom T Hall songs will teach you more than any book on songwriting. Rest In Peace forever. I’ll remember the day'

The Grand Ole Opry's official Twitter account tweeted bad news for country music fans on Friday, August 20 evening, informing them of Tom T Hall's death. The man behind 'That's How I Got to Memphis', 'Homecoming', and the all-time favorite 'I like Beer' has died at 85. He is survived by his son Dean Hall who is a singer, musician, and songwriter himself. 

Speaking of country stars theworld lost this year, Texas native Taylor Dee died in a tragic road accident earlier this year. Police suspected that the songstress may have been drunk and she wasn't wearing her seatbelt because there were reports of her being ejected from her truck after the crash. Misty Morgan who was referred to as the Cher of country music died on January 1 of cancer. She was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Day 2020 with advanced cancer and passed away on New Year, with her husband Jack by her side. 

How did Tom T Hall die?

Country Music Hall of Famer twice - in 2008 and 2012 - Hall was known as 'the storyteller' by fans and peers alike. In 1978 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for the stories he weaved through his writing in songs including 'I Love', 'Country Is', and 'Faster Horses'. His death was confirmed by his son Dean who said Hall had died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee on August 20. 

Hall was born to Virgil Lee and Della Hall in 1936 at his grandfather's log cabin near Olive Hill, Kentucky. He started learning the guitar and writing songs quite young and one of his early influences was a local musician who died of tuberculosis at 22. Hall's song 'The Year that Clayton Delaney died' is inspired by the musician. After his mother died of cancer when he was just 13, a kind neighbor Hurley Curtis helped him get a spot on a bluegrass band called the Kentucky Travelers. However, the band broke up after a while and everyone went their separate ways including Hall who joined the Army and wrote multiple songs relating to those days including 'Salute to a Switchblade' and 'I Flew Over Our House Last Night'. 

What set Hall apart from his peers is he could write about everyday situations, people who had an influence on his life even if he met them for a short while, and his words meant magic all the time. He received many awards and honors for the music he gave to the world including a Grammy. For people who were familiar with Hall and his music, his death is a huge loss. Twitter is flooded with tributes for the storytelling genius who has left behind a wealth of music. 

"Listening to Tom T Hall songs will teach you more than any book on songwriting. Rest In Peace forever. I’ll remember the day," wrote a fan. "R.I.P. to “The Storyteller” Tom T. Hall, this has been a rough last year and a half for country music. His favorite song of mine was Country Is. We’ll miss you Tom T," read another tweet. "The gift of Tom T. Hall is the gift of complicated stories from small places, and what power is held when you get specific. R.I.P to one of the greatest," another fan wrote.