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| Joe Diffie, Grammy-Winning Country Music Star, Dies at 61 | Joe Diffie, Grammy-Winning Country Music Star, Dies at 61 |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| Joe Diffie, who went from working in oil fields and foundries to becoming one of the most commercially successful country singers of the early and mid-1990s, died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 61. | Joe Diffie, who went from working in oil fields and foundries to becoming one of the most commercially successful country singers of the early and mid-1990s, died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 61. |
| His death, from complications of the coronavirus, was announced by his publicist, Scott Adkins. Mr. Diffie had revealed on Friday that he was being treated for the condition. | His death, from complications of the coronavirus, was announced by his publicist, Scott Adkins. Mr. Diffie had revealed on Friday that he was being treated for the condition. |
| At the dawn of the 1990s, country music was embarking upon a great, rollicking party period, and Mr. Diffie, with a touch of aw-shucks wryness to his performances and a robust head of blond hair that shot back from his head like wispy flames, was suited to the moment. | At the dawn of the 1990s, country music was embarking upon a great, rollicking party period, and Mr. Diffie, with a touch of aw-shucks wryness to his performances and a robust head of blond hair that shot back from his head like wispy flames, was suited to the moment. |
| As a singer, he had a crisp, sentimental voice, which he deployed on ballads like “Is It Cold in Here” and “Home,” his debut single from 1990; it topped the Billboard country chart, the first of his five No. 1 country singles. He placed a dozen more songs in the country Top 10. | As a singer, he had a crisp, sentimental voice, which he deployed on ballads like “Is It Cold in Here” and “Home,” his debut single from 1990; it topped the Billboard country chart, the first of his five No. 1 country singles. He placed a dozen more songs in the country Top 10. |
| But he was also given to a playful, plucky rowdiness, and that animated his biggest hits. His third and fourth albums, which leaned heavily in this direction — “Honky Tonk Attitude” (1993) and “Third Rock from the Sun” (1994) — both went platinum. Two of his other albums went gold. | But he was also given to a playful, plucky rowdiness, and that animated his biggest hits. His third and fourth albums, which leaned heavily in this direction — “Honky Tonk Attitude” (1993) and “Third Rock from the Sun” (1994) — both went platinum. Two of his other albums went gold. |
| “Pickup Man,” from 1994, was his most successful song, topping the Billboard country chart for four weeks. It was also the song that best took advantage of his various talents: On the one hand, it was a gently funny song about sexual attraction, but, on the other, it was also an emphatically boisterous statement of pride about boys and the trucks that boost their egos. | “Pickup Man,” from 1994, was his most successful song, topping the Billboard country chart for four weeks. It was also the song that best took advantage of his various talents: On the one hand, it was a gently funny song about sexual attraction, but, on the other, it was also an emphatically boisterous statement of pride about boys and the trucks that boost their egos. |
| When he sang “Pickup Man,” he alternated between plain and direct singing, humorously dipping and bending his syllables for emphasis. | When he sang “Pickup Man,” he alternated between plain and direct singing, humorously dipping and bending his syllables for emphasis. |
| “You can set my truck on fire and roll it down a hill/and I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe de Ville,” he sang, adding, “I met all my wives in traffic jams/There’s just something women like about a pickup man.” | “You can set my truck on fire and roll it down a hill/and I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe de Ville,” he sang, adding, “I met all my wives in traffic jams/There’s just something women like about a pickup man.” |
| The title track from “Third Rock From the Sun,” which went to No. 1, was a lighthearted catalog of rural misadventure. His 1995 Christmas album included a honky-tonk anthem, “Leroy the Redneck Reindeer.” | The title track from “Third Rock From the Sun,” which went to No. 1, was a lighthearted catalog of rural misadventure. His 1995 Christmas album included a honky-tonk anthem, “Leroy the Redneck Reindeer.” |
| On “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” — the song’s video had a strong dose of “Weekend at Bernie’s”-like high jinks — Mr. Diffie regarded death with an arched eyebrow and a shrug: “Just let my headstone be a neon sign/Just let it burn in memory of all of my good times.” | On “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” — the song’s video had a strong dose of “Weekend at Bernie’s”-like high jinks — Mr. Diffie regarded death with an arched eyebrow and a shrug: “Just let my headstone be a neon sign/Just let it burn in memory of all of my good times.” |
| Joe Logan Diffie was born on Dec. 28, 1958, in Tulsa, Okla., to Joe and Flora Diffie. His father held various jobs and later drove a tour bus for the country superstar Toby Keith; his mother was a schoolteacher and owned a flower shop. His family moved frequently before settling back in Oklahoma, where Mr. Diffie attended high school and college. As a child, he played with his aunt’s country band, and later as part of rock, gospel and bluegrass outfits. | Joe Logan Diffie was born on Dec. 28, 1958, in Tulsa, Okla., to Joe and Flora Diffie. His father held various jobs and later drove a tour bus for the country superstar Toby Keith; his mother was a schoolteacher and owned a flower shop. His family moved frequently before settling back in Oklahoma, where Mr. Diffie attended high school and college. As a child, he played with his aunt’s country band, and later as part of rock, gospel and bluegrass outfits. |
| He began writing songs in the 1980s, and one of them, “Love on the Rocks,” was recorded by Hank Thompson. Soon, Mr. Diffie moved to Nashville, where he spent a few years writing songs and singing demos. After singing background on a Holly Dunn recording of one of his songs, he signed with Epic Records in 1990, and before long had his first No. 1 country hit. | He began writing songs in the 1980s, and one of them, “Love on the Rocks,” was recorded by Hank Thompson. Soon, Mr. Diffie moved to Nashville, where he spent a few years writing songs and singing demos. After singing background on a Holly Dunn recording of one of his songs, he signed with Epic Records in 1990, and before long had his first No. 1 country hit. |
| Even in his performing era, Mr. Diffie continued writing songs, including ones recorded by Tim McGraw (“Memory Lane”) and Jo Dee Messina (“My Give a Damn’s Busted”). In 1998, Mr. Diffie won a Grammy for best country collaboration, with vocals for “Same Old Train,” a multistar collaboration. | Even in his performing era, Mr. Diffie continued writing songs, including ones recorded by Tim McGraw (“Memory Lane”) and Jo Dee Messina (“My Give a Damn’s Busted”). In 1998, Mr. Diffie won a Grammy for best country collaboration, with vocals for “Same Old Train,” a multistar collaboration. |
| He released albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s, and last year began hosting a radio show on KXBL, a country station in his native Tulsa. | He released albums throughout the 2000s and 2010s, and last year began hosting a radio show on KXBL, a country station in his native Tulsa. |
| Mr. Diffie is survived by his wife, Tara Terpening Diffie; his mother; two sisters, Meg Prestidge and Monica Stiles; four sons, Parker Diffie, Travis Humes, Drew Diffie and Tyler Diffie; three daughters, Kara Diffie, Kylie Diffie and Reaux Terpening; and four grandchildren. Mr. Diffie’s first three marriages ended in divorce. | Mr. Diffie is survived by his wife, Tara Terpening Diffie; his mother; two sisters, Meg Prestidge and Monica Stiles; four sons, Parker Diffie, Travis Humes, Drew Diffie and Tyler Diffie; three daughters, Kara Diffie, Kylie Diffie and Reaux Terpening; and four grandchildren. Mr. Diffie’s first three marriages ended in divorce. |
| The brand of power country that he found much success with has lately been experiencing a re-embrace. Last year, Mr. Diffie, along with Trace Adkins, appeared on “Redneck Tendencies,” a song by the young country singer Hardy, and in 2013 he recorded a duet with the Canadian country star Gord Bamford on “Country Junkie,” singing, “I don’t think they’ve got rehab for being a good ol’ boy.” | The brand of power country that he found much success with has lately been experiencing a re-embrace. Last year, Mr. Diffie, along with Trace Adkins, appeared on “Redneck Tendencies,” a song by the young country singer Hardy, and in 2013 he recorded a duet with the Canadian country star Gord Bamford on “Country Junkie,” singing, “I don’t think they’ve got rehab for being a good ol’ boy.” |
| But the clearest mark of Mr. Diffie’s legacy came in 2013, when the country superstar Jason Aldean released a single called “1994,” which emphatically invokes Mr. Diffie’s work and influence, name-checking several Diffie songs in the lyrics. | But the clearest mark of Mr. Diffie’s legacy came in 2013, when the country superstar Jason Aldean released a single called “1994,” which emphatically invokes Mr. Diffie’s work and influence, name-checking several Diffie songs in the lyrics. |
| In the video, one of the dancers wears a T-shirt that reads, “Teach Me How to Diffie,” a play on the “Teach Me How to Dougie” dance craze and a nod to how Mr. Diffie would awkwardly shimmy a bit onstage. | In the video, one of the dancers wears a T-shirt that reads, “Teach Me How to Diffie,” a play on the “Teach Me How to Dougie” dance craze and a nod to how Mr. Diffie would awkwardly shimmy a bit onstage. |
| Throughout the video, there are clips of almost all the country stars of the 2010s — Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line and more — singing to the camera, “Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie!” | Throughout the video, there are clips of almost all the country stars of the 2010s — Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line and more — singing to the camera, “Joe, Joe, Joe Diffie!” |
| That refrain became the title of Mr. Diffie’s final album, released in 2019. | That refrain became the title of Mr. Diffie’s final album, released in 2019. |