Charlie Robison Dead at 59

Country singer/songwriter Charlie Robison died Sunday (September 10). He was 59. 

According to the Tyler Morning Telegraph, a family representative told the outlet that Robison “died at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering cardiac arrest and other complications.”

Robison’s wife, Kristen, shared a message on her Facebook page on Sunday evening confirming the news.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that my husband, Charlie Robison has passed away today, surrounded by his family and friends,” she writes. “My heart is broken. Please pray for me, our children and our family.”

Born on September 1, 1964, Robison grew up in a family overflowing with musical talent, honing his craft alongside his brother, Bruce Robison, and sister, Robyn Ludwick. After making his mark on the Austin, Texas music scene during the 1980s with stints in multiple local country bands, he made his way to Nashville with hopes of cultivating a solo career. 

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He released his debut album, Bandera, in 1996, but it was his follow-up 1998 LP, Life of the Party, that earned him his first placements on the country charts. Robison found moderate mainstream success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, breaking into the Top 40 with his 2001 single “I Want You Bad.”

After taking on the role of judge for the first season of the USA Network reality singing competition Nashville Star, Robison pivoted his focus away from attaining commercial stardom. He began to embrace the grittier, organic elements that define Texas country music. During his live performances, he often teamed up with his brother, Bruce, and fellow Lone Star State singer/songwriter Jack Ingram, which meshed country traditionalism with classic rock and roll.

In 2018, he announced his retirement from performing and recording music due to unforeseen issues stemming from a medical procedure.

“At the beginning of this year I underwent a surgical procedure that because of complications left me with the permanent inability to sing,” Robison previously shared in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. “Therefore, with a very heavy heart I am officially retiring from the stage and studio. Gonna keep it short but just wanted y’all to hear it from me. It’s been an amazing ride and I cannot tell you all what the last 25 years has meant to me.”

Robison is survived by his wife, Kristen, their son, Jett James, and three children from his previous marriage to The Chicks’ Emily Strayer: daughter Julianna Tex and sons Henry Benjamin and Charles Augustus.

American Songwriter reached out to Robison’s representatives but did not receive a response prior to publishing. 

Photo by Randall Michelson/WireImage