'I Love' songwriter Tom T Hall's cause of death revealed as suicide by medical officers
Tom T. Hall, a Country Hall of Fame member, died by suicide in August 2021, according to officials of the Williamson County Medical Examiner's office. According to the blog Saving Country Music, Hall had sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. On 20 August 2021, at 11:15 am, a 911 call was placed and Hall was pronounced dead less than 20 minutes later when paramedics and police responded to the call. He was 85.
Hall and his wife English-born songwriter Dixie Deen went on to write hundreds of bluegrass songs together ever since he retired from performing music in the 1990s. Hall's son, Dean Hall, another musician, announced his father's death without providing the cause of death. He later deleted his social media accounts and did not respond to comments.
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Hall was born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, on May 25, 1936. Before moving to Nashville in 1964, he enlisted in the military and served in Germany. Hall had delivered a total of 12 hits in his career, the most notable of which was 'Jeannie C', Riley's pop crossover 'Harper Valley PTA', and his own 'I Love.' Furthermore, he had 26 top 10 hits.
Hall is named one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters and artists including, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, and Bobby Bare. His breakthrough came when he wrote 'Harper Valley PTA', a 1968 international hit about small-town hypocrisy. The witty, feisty song about a mother telling a bunch of busybodies to mind their own business went on to become a No 1 country and pop hit, selling millions of copies all over.
He became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2012, Hall was named the BMI Icon of the Year, with tributes from the Avett Brothers, bluegrass stars Daily & Vincent, Toby Keith, and Justin Townes Earle. Hall had long since retired from performing and recording after being one of the biggest country stars of the 1970s, and certainly one of the most revered for his artistry among country cognoscenti to this day. He gave his final performance in 2011 after only performing sporadically since the mid-'90s, stating that he preferred spending time on the farm with his wife, Dixie Hall and that younger generations should have their turn.
