Music Icon DEAD – Gone Forever!

Legendary Musician Dead at 73

(WatchDogReport.org) – The country music world is mourning the loss of one of the legends of the genre. Words of remembrance and grief have been pouring in for Jeff Cook, one of the founding members of the juggernaut band from the early 1980s known as Alabama.

ALABAMA has been one of my favorite bands for as long as I remember. Yesterday, founding member Jeff Cook lost his battle with Parkinson's disease. His fiddle and guitar playing has been a huge part of my lifelong soundtrack, and my heart is heavy for the ALABAMA family!! pic.twitter.com/3qNKypaYJ7

— Tim McGraw (@TheTimMcGraw) November 9, 2022

Cook was born August 27, 1949, in Fort Payne, Alabama, and on November 7, he lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 73. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, to whom he was married for 27 years, and his “beloved puppies Blazer and Blakely,” according to his obituary.

Cook, along with his cousins Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen, put together a band as teenagers called Wildcountry in 1973 and renamed it Alabama in 1977, and history was made. The band members would’ve had to dedicate a large room in each of their homes to hold the trophies that they garnered over the years, maybe even adding on an addition.

The country/Southern rock band was no stranger to the award shows circuit, having picked up two wins and 13 nominations for Grammy awards, 41 Country Music Association (CMA) nominations, including nine wins, plus another 23 American Music Awards (AMA) victories.

Their music was massively popular with fans as well, with the group putting up 33 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country chart — the most for any group or duo in history. Some of their songs that held that spot were “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas,” “Dixieland Delight,” and the love song “Close Enough to Perfect.”