Keith Gattis Cause of Death Tragic: Country Music Hitmaker Dead at 52

Keith Gattis, a country music singer, songwriter and producer, was given much love and tributes as the news of his sudden death rocked the country music community.

According to Taste of Country, the singer-songwriter died on Apr 23; he was 52 years old.

A pal and fellow country music star, Jake Owen, took to Instagram to pay tribute to Gattis, which caught the attention of fans and the media alike.

"Losing people in our lives is never something we can get used to," Owen wrote on the caption of a black and white picture of the late singer. "Losing someone in this business, is even harder bc of what they brought to everyone around them. [Keith Gattis] brought it all."

Tributes

After this initial post, the tributes from other artists came pouring in as well, as per iHeartRadio, Jon Pardi, Sheryl Crow, Ashley Monroe, John Osborne of the Brothers Osborne, and more also honored Gattis.

"There's always one.. that changes everything. Keith Gattis was one of those," Monroe wrote of the singer. "My heart is breaking for his beautiful family, who was his whole world. I'm thankful I knew him, and thankful for all the brilliant music he made ...that I will never stop listening to."

"The Nashville community lost a giant," Osborne wrote. "Keith Gattis was the most real person you'd ever meet in your life. An extraordinary talent on every level. He's the reason I play B Bender Tele. He lent me his for the our Port Saint Joe record and I've been hooked ever since. [...]"

Remembering Keith Gattis

According to Music Row, Gattis was born in Texas, but he moved to Nashville-where he established himself as a musician and grew to prominence-for college.

He began his music career in the mid-1990s, after years of dreaming to make it big. He released his self-titled debut album, but it received a lukewarm reception.

It was not until he began writing and producing songs for other artists did he make it big. According to reports, he was the genius behind "El Cerrito Place," which was originally recorded by Charlie Robinson, but eventually became a hit for Kenny Chesney.

He began working with Chesney, and they came up with the latter's "When I See This Bar." Aside from this country star, Gattis also collaborated with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Randy Houser, and more.

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