Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard (1937 – 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. He was one of the most popular country music performers of the late 20th century, with almost 40 number one country hits between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s. Haggard’s music stylistically mined honky-tonk, blues, jazz, pop, and folk. Some…

Haggard was born in Oildale, California, on April 6, 1937, and died in Palo Cedro, California, on April 6, 2016, at the age of 79. He was married five times and had seven children: Ben, Jenessa, Dana, Marty, Kelli, Noel, and Scott.

Haggard was also an actor, known for his roles in Wag the Dog (1997), The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981), and Jack Reacher (2012). In 1972, Governor Ronald Reagan pardoned Haggard of all his previous offenses, which Haggard said transformed his life.