(TargetDailyNews.com) – On June 27th, Texas legend Kinky Friedman, 79, died at his Echo Hill Ranch in Texas after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
According to close friend Kent Perkins, Friedman “died peacefully” at his home, stating Friedman “smoked a cigar” before going to bed and then he “never woke up.”
Born on Nov. 1st, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois, Friedman was raised in Texas. He was known as a writer, musician, and gubernatorial candidate.
In the 1970s, Friedman gained notoriety when Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, his satirical country band, became successful. In 1973, the title track from his debut album was listed on the Top 70 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and in 1974, his second album was listed on the Billboard 200. In 1976, the band traveled with Bob Dylan as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
In the 1980s, after the band’s success faded, Friedman began his career in writing. He wrote the “Greenwich Killing Time” and “Roadkill,” New York-based crime novels that featured him as a detective. Throughout his writing career, Friedman wrote over 20 books.
He acted in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” and was a guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno” and “The Late Show With David Letterman.”
In 2006, Friedman ran unsuccessfully as an Independent candidate for Texas governor against the incumbent, Republican Gov. Rick Perry. Friedman finished fourth in the race. In 2010 and 2014, he also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for agriculture commissioner.
In the late 1990s, Friedman founded the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, which rescued over 1,000 stray, abused, and aging animals from euthanasia.
In statements after his death, friends remembered Friedman fondly.
Friend Cleve Hattersley called him a “very pointed and poignant communicator,” adding that “he could make you roll on the floor in laughter.” Perkins referred to Friedman as “a larger-than-life Texas icon.”
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