Kinky Friedman's Cause of Death, Final Moments: Texas Jewboys Frontman Dead at 79

Kinky Friedman, the singer-songwriter who notably collaborated with veteran singers like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, has died, his family confirmed. He was 79.

A post on Friedman's X, formerly Twitter, account delivered the message to his fans and followers online.

"Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends. Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung," the statement read.

The provocative musician, born Richard Samet Friedman, died on Thursday, June 27, at his family's Texas ranch. His close friend Kent Perkins shared the details with The Associated Press, adding the late musician suffered from Parkinson's disease in the years leading to his death.

Perkins added what Friedman's final moments looked like.

"He died peacefully. He smoked a cigar, went to bed and never woke up," he told the news outlet. "We were the only two people with tuxedos and cowboys hats. Two Texans gravitating toward each other. He was the last free person on earth ... He had an irreverence about him. He was a fearless writer."

Perkins and Friedman met at a party five decades ago when they were both signed to Columbia records and movie contracts. They began working together afterward.

Meanwhile, friend and collaborator Cleve Hattersley also shared the news with Fox News Digital. The duo toured for more than 40 years, and they marked their last performance before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

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Friedman launched his career in the early 1970s, and he also performed with a group that was a "country band with a social conscience, the demented love child of Lenny Bruce and Bob Wills," according to Variety.

Outside the music industry, Friedman wrote detective novels and ran for Governor of Texas in 2006. Part of his campaign called for legalizing medical marijuana, supporting same-sex marriage and improving public education. He was one of the six candidates at the time, and he got less than 13 percent of the total votes.

Despite losing, Friedman tried his luck again by running for state agriculture commissioner as a Democrat in 2010 and 2014. Both attempts were also unsuccessful.

Details of Friedman's funeral and memorial are still pending.

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