Blake Shelton is one of country music’s biggest stars and spent years as a coach on the TV singing show The Voice. Long before any of that, he was a kid in Oklahoma who grew up on the records of John Anderson.
John Anderson was a country singer with a rough, warm voice all his own. He gave us hits like “Swingin'” and “Straight Tequila Night,” and in 2024 he was welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame. To Blake, he wasn’t just a legend. He was the hero.
On Wednesday, Oct 21, 2026, John passed away at 71. His publicist shared the news. His family called him “the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely and made every moment feel special.”
What makes Blake’s goodbye hit so hard is the timing.
Just three days before, on Sunday, Oct 18, the two men were in the same room in Nashville. John was there for the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony, the night the Hall honors its members. Blake saw him. They talked. Then they went their own ways, like you do, figuring there would be a next time.
Over the years the two had become real friends, not just singer and fan. They recorded together three times, starting with “The Last Country Song” in 2007 alongside George Jones, one of the all-time greats of the music. They teamed up again for “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone” in 2020, and once more for “Years” in 2025.
You can hear that friendship in the songs they made.
Here are the two of them trading lines on their 2020 duet.
Blake and John singing together on “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone”
When the news came, Blake posted a photo of the two of them and wrote straight from the heart. “I am sick and I am stunned. But I am a very lucky man,” he said. He talked about getting to know the man behind the music. “I got the opportunity to find out that my hero wasn’t just the guy I hoped he’d be,” Blake wrote. “He was so much more than that. John was my friend.”
Then came the part he couldn’t quite explain, even to himself.
Blake wrote that when he saw John that Sunday, something told him not to hold back. “I got to see him last Sunday and I don’t even know why but I told him I loved him,” he said. “That is what fills my heart in this moment. My love and prayers go out to John’s family.”
He had no way of knowing it would be the last time. He only knew he had to say it.
This tribute looks back at John’s biggest songs and the moments fans loved most.
A look back at John Anderson’s songs and best moments
If you grew up with John Anderson’s voice coming out of the radio, this one will bring it all right back.