Jim Ed Brown Dead;, Grand Ole Opry Member and Country Hall of Fame Inductee

Jim Ed Brown, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the vocalist behind the iconic hit "Pop A Top," has died at the age of 81. He had been struggling with cancer.

Brown had initially announced during last September that he had been undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer, however he would later reveal at the March ceremony announcing that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame that his cancer was in remission. Unfortunately Brown found out that the cancer had returned earlier this month, pushing the Hall to move up his induction several months to ensure that Brown was there to experience it. Friend and Hall of Fame member "Whispering" Bill Anderson brought Brown's medallion to him in the hospital.

"It was sad, but in a beautiful way, because we were making him happy," Anderson said. "He was tearing up and so was I and so was everybody in the room. He said, 'I had about convinced myself that even if I don't make the Hall of Fame, I've had a pretty good run. But to wear this medallion and know that I made it to the Hall of Fame makes it perfect.'"

Brown made a name for himself by touring with his sisters Maxine and Bonnie during the '50s under the name The Browns. The trio was responsible for the country smash "The Three Bells," which spent ten weeks atop the country charts during 1959, as well as four weeks on top of the pop charts. The group was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry during 1963. The group disbanded during 1967 when Brown's sisters decided to retire from the road. Later that year Brown would release "Pop A Top" as a solo single.

He stayed active music, releasing his final album—In Style Again—during January and playing the Grand Ole Opry later that month.