Country musician Ronnie Bowman died Sunday in Tennessee from injuries he sustained during a motorcycle accident.
Bowman, 64, crashed Saturday in Ashland City and was taken to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, his family said.
“Ronnie was beloved by so many in our music community, whom he loved so dearly... and we are beyond grateful for all of the love & outpouring toward us already,” his wife, singer Garnet Imes Bowman, said in a statement.
Bowman was best known for his bluegrass tunes and celebrated songwriting chops. The singer-songwriter was named Male Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 1995, 1998, and 1999.
Bowman’s 1994 album Cold Virginia Night won Album of the Year and Song of the Year at the association’s annual awards ceremony.
“We are shocked and heartbroken by the news of Ronnie Bowman’s passing. Another bluegrass legend gone far too soon,” the International Bluegrass Music Association wrote on Facebook.
“Ronnie wasn’t just a remarkable musician and songwriter, he was a remarkable person. He lifted those around him and left them better than he found them. Ronnie was a treasured part of our community, and his absence is deeply felt.”
The legendary songwriter also wrote for country artists such as Chris Stapleton and Kenny Chesney. Bowman co-wrote Stapleton’s 2015 hit “Nobody to Blame,” which won Song of the Year at the Country Music Awards.
Bowman’s music career began at age three as part of a family band, before he joined the bluegrass band Lost & Found. As a vocalist and bass player of The Lonesome River Band in the 1990s, he helped the band take home the IBMA Album of the Year in 1991 for Carrying the Tradition.
Bluegrass star Billy Strings—who performed alongside Bowman—remembered him as “an amazing singer and songwriter.”
“One of the best entertainers in bluegrass and country music. He lit up any room he was in. I’m terribly sad to hear that he has passed on after a tragic motorcycle accident,” Strings, 33, wrote on Instagram.
Musician John Carter Cash, the son of country music legend Johnny Cash, wrote on Instagram, “All my love goes out to family of @the.ronnie.bowman. Ronnie was a friend and an amazing vocalist and musician. Love to all.”
Bowman is survived by his wife and their daughter, Chassidy.
