Legendary songwriter, artist and performer Mac Davis has passed away, following complications from heart surgery. The entertainment icon was 78 years old when he died on Tuesday, September 29. Mac’s manager, Jim Morey, shared the heartbreaking news on social media.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Mac Davis,” Mac’s manager and friend shared on social media. “He was surrounded by the love of his life and wife of 38 years, Lise, and his sons Scott, Noah and Cody. Mac has been my client for over 40 years, and more importantly.. my best friend. He was a music legend but his most important work was that as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.
“I will miss laughing about our many adventures on the road and his insightful sense of humor,” he continued. “When there was a tough decision to be made he often told me “You decide.. I’m going to the golf course!’ To quote from his song ‘I Believe in Music’… I could just sit around making music all day long. As long as I’m making my music ain’t gonna do nobody no harm. And who knows maybe I’ll come up with a song.’ And he did…time after time.”
The Country Music Association also spoke out about Mac’s death.
“Today our Country community lost an amazing entertainer, songwriter and artist,” Sarah Trahern, Chief Executive Officer, Country Music Association, said in a statement. “I remember watching Mac’s TV show as a kid as well as his three years co-hosting the CMA Awards with Barbara Mandrell, which proved his command of the TV medium as well as the music. Personally, though, I am saddened to recall a wonderful day spent with Mac and his wife Lise Gerard at our CMA Songwriters Series show at the Library of Congress just a few years ago.
“He held command of the room backstage with lively stories and a genuine love of the craft of storytelling,” she added. “When he performed “In the Ghetto” that night, fellow songwriter Pam Tillis pointed out that sadly the song is as pertinent today as it was when Mac wrote it in the late 1960s. His timeless artistry will be sorely missed.”
Mac got his start writing songs for Elvis Presley, including “In the Ghetto,” “Memories”,” “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “A Little Less Conversation,” and others. He also wrote Glen Campbell’s “Everything a Man Could Ever Need” and Kenny Rogers & the First Edition’s “Something’s Burning,” and had songs recorded by Nancy Sinatra, B.J. Thomas, Rascal Flatts, Dolly Parton, Ray Price, and more. In recent years, he had a No. 1 hit on the dance charts, with Avicii’s “Addicted to You.”
Mac had success as an artist as well, with hit singles in both the rock and country world, including “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” “Stop and Smell the Roses,” “It’s Hard to Be Humble,” and more.
Mac also hosted his own variety show, The Mac Davis Show, and starred on Broadway as Will Rogers in The Will Rogers Follies. His other acting roles included in For My Daughter’s Honor, Where the Red Fern Grows, Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, and others.
Funeral services are pending.