‘The Gambler’ songwriter Don Schlitz dies aged 73 after sudden illness as tributes paid

Don Schlitz, the two-time Grammy Award-winning country music songwriter behind such classics as ‘The Gambler,’ ‘On the Other Hand’ and ‘Forever and Ever, Amen,’ has died at the age of 73.

A legendary songwriter behind such classics as “The Gambler,”On the Other Hand” and “Forever and Ever, Amen,” passed away Thursday (April 16) at a Nashville hospital.

Award-winning country music legend Don Schlitz, tragically died after ‘sudden illness’ at the age of 73, according to a statement from the Grand Ole Opry. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, wrote in a statement Friday: “We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz. Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every stage and every lyric he ever wrote.

“Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

The two-time Grammy Award recipient was enshrined in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends,” Schlitz remarked in 2017, when he discovered the Country Music Hall of Fame accolade. “That’s the only way I can deal with this.”

Schlitz made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and was subsequently inducted in 2022. He remains the only non-performer to receive the distinction in the Opry’s 100 years. The historic venue’s Saturday night performance will be dedicated in his honour.

He was crowned ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four straight years, from 1988 through 1991. He also penned music and lyrics for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” the 1999 Broadway musical.

Schlitz’s compositions are widely regarded as some of the most steadfast in country music, and have been recorded by such chart-toppers as Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler, “The Greatest”), Randy Travis (“On the Other Hand, “Forever and Ever, Amen”), The Judds (“I Know Where I’m Going”), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“I Love Only You,”) Tanya Tucker (“I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,”) Mary Chapin Carpenter (“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”) and countless others.

He also penned “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Rogers and Dolly Parton; their first collaboration since 1983’s “Islands in the Stream.”

Schlitz, hailing from North Carolina, was born in 1952 and brought up in Durham before departing for Nashville with his belongings.

His debut recorded track, “The Gambler,” is arguably his most lasting success and the cornerstone of his reputation.

The number, which Rogers recorded in 1978 and achieved five-times platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), broke new ground for country music in the ’70s, a piece that proved not only a massive genre triumph but also a mainstream crossover sensation.

As Rogers remarked when inducting Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers”.

Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said: “Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler.

“Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley.