Country music lost two great singers today.  Legendary Don Williams passed away after an illness and Troy Gentry of the duo Montgomery Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash. Gentry was one-half of the duo of the Kentucky-based group Montgomery Gentry. The crash occurred around noon today (Friday, September 8, 2017). Two individuals were killed. Eddie Montgomery was not onboard the helicopter. The Montgomery Gentry concert was cancelled in the immediate aftermath before the identity of the victims was released.  Troy was 50.

Don Williams was 78. Williams came to Nashville in the late 60s and by the early 70s he had a songwriting contact with the publishing company owned by Jack Clement. He made his chart debut with “The Shelter of Your Eyes” in 1973. Williams retired in 2016, saying it was time to “hang up his hat and enjoy some quiet time at home.”