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<\/p>\nBlake Shelton wrote a touching tribute to his friend Joe Bonsall after his death.
\nFrom 1973 to 2024, Joe played in the country and gospel band The Oak Ridge Boys.<\/p>\n
The 48-year-old Blake shared a picture of himself singing on stage with The Oak Ridge Boys on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
No one knows for sure when and where the picture was taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sad to hear about the death of my friend Joe Bonsall,\u201d he wrote on his Instagram Stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve NEVER seen Joe when he wasn\u2019t smiling and completely full of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake went on, \u201cHe loved singing more than anyone I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis family and his @theoakridgeboys brothers are in my thoughts and prayers.\u201d Today we lost a very important person.<\/p>\n
Blake put out the song \u201cDoing It to Country Songs\u201d with The Oak Ridge Boys in 2016.<\/p>\n
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, led to his death.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fans found out about the singer\u2019s diagnosis in January 2024, four years after he had been sick.<\/p>\n
His wife was named Mary Ann, and he had two daughters named Jennifer and Sabrina. He also had two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n
A family spokesperson said in a press release, \u201cJoseph is also the author of 11 books, including his most recent, a memoir called I See Myself, which comes out in November.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved running the farm.\u201d He also loved the Philadelphia Phillies. It said, \u201cBut Jesus and his family always came first, and we will see him again on the Promised Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the news of his diagnosis, Joe said he was leaving the band.<\/p>\n
TIMES WITH THE BAND<\/p>\n
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\nThe Oak Ridge Boys are made up of Joe, William Lee Golden, Richard Sterban, and Duane Allen.<\/p>\n
Elvira, Come On In, Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight, and Bobbie Sue are some of the band\u2019s best-known songs.<\/p>\n
In 2015, The Oak Ridge Boys were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. They won five Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n
Neither of the current band members is a member from the beginning.
\n\u201cJoe really liked to sing. He liked to read a lot. He liked writing a lot. He really liked playing the banjo.<\/p>\n
Formed the band were Curly Kinsey, Lon \u201cDeacon\u201d Freeman, Wally Fowler, and Little Johnny New.<\/p>\n
The Oak Ridge Boys are on tour right now with American Made: The Farwell. The show runs until December 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"