Word of his passing came just 3 hours before the end of one contest and the start of another. He always was a damned troublemaker.
He sang to over 220 million people over his lifetime, worked with Billy Graham for over 50 years, and recorded over 500 vocal solos on more than 70 albums. And yet - we had no idea who the fuck he was until we looked him up. Go figure.
(d) April 16th, 2013