Don Schlitz, the acclaimed country music songwriter, died on Thursday at a Nashville hospital at the age of 73. The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, but a press release from the Grand Ole Opry attributed it to a sudden illness. Schlitz was a two-time Grammy Award winner and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in 2017 and was inducted in 2022, becoming the only non-artist to receive this distinction in the venue's century-long history. The historic Saturday night show at the Grand Ole Opry will be dedicated in his memory. Schlitz was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1988 to 1991, and penned the music and lyrics for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a Broadway musical that premiered in 1999.
Don doesn't just write songs. He writes careers.
His first recorded song, 'The Gambler,' was recorded by Kenny Rogers in 1978 and was certified five times platinum by the RIAA. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis died at the age of 74 on Monday at a Nashville hospital surrounded by his family following a period of illness. The Tennessee Titans confirmed his death in a statement on Monday evening.
McGinnis served as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2000 to 2003, having arrived in Arizona in 1996 as the team's defensive coordinator. He spent ten seasons as the linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears under Mike Ditka and Dave Wannstedt, and later served as a linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans from 2004 to 2011. Since 2017, he served as the color analyst for the Titans Radio Network.