Joe Bonsall - Country icon passes away at 76
American Country and Gospel icon Joe Bonsall is deceased. According to a detailed statement from his long-standing band The Oak Ridge Boys, Bonsall passed away on July 9, in Hendersonville, Tennessee, due to the effects of his ALS disease. He was 76 years old. Bonsall leaves behind his wife Mary Ann, two daughters, as well as two grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
According to US media, Bonsall had been suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, an incurable and degenerative disease of the motor nervous system, for approximately four years. In January 2024, Joe Bonsall announced that the planned farewell tour of his band had to be cancelled due to his health condition. He was replaced by Ben James but remained an official member of the band. Besides his music career, Bonsall was also an author and wrote a total of eleven books, including his upcoming memoirs "I See Myself", scheduled for release in November.
Joe Bonsall performed at George H.W. Bush's state funeral
The Oak Ridge Boys, a successful singing quartet since the 1940s, formed in the 1940s and initially sang only Gospel music. With the addition of Joe Bonsall in 1973, the group began to explore Country and Pop music genres more. In December 2018, the Philadelphia-born Bonsall and his band also performed at the state funeral for the former US President George H.W. Bush (1924-2018).
Despite his health challenges, Joe Bonsall continued to make appearances with The Oak Ridge Boys, such as performing at Philadelphia's iconic venue, the Keswick Theatre, in 2022. Following Joe Bonsall's passing, The Oak Ridge Boys shared a heartfelt tribute to their longtime bandmate at a concert in Philadelphia, honoring his memory through a special performance of one of his favorite songs, "Elvira."
