NASHVILLE, Tennessee. — NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Todd SnyderThe singer whose thoughtful, free-spirited melodies and cosmic stoner songwriting made him a beloved figure in American music has died. He was 59.
His record label said Saturday in a statement posted to his social media accounts that Snider died Friday.
“Where do we find words for someone who always had the right words, who knew how to express everything to its essence through words and song, while simultaneously delivering the most devastating, hilarious and impressive turns of phrase?” the statement has been read. “Always creating a rhyme and meter that immediately brings to mind an old friend or a favorite blanket. Someone who could almost always find humor in this crazy ride on planet Earth.”
Snyder's family and friends said in a statement Friday that he was diagnosed with pneumonia at a hospital in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and that his situation has since become more complicated and he was transferred to another location. According to a Nov. 3 statement from his management team, the diagnosis came just after the tour was canceled after Snyder was the victim of a brutal attack in the Salt Lake City area.
But Salt Lake City police later arrested Snyder himself when he initially refused to leave the hospital and then returned and threatened hospital staff. Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The canceled tour was in support of his latest album, High, Lonesome and then Some, which was released in October. During his thirty-year career, Snider combined elements of folk, rock and country. In reviews of his latest albums, the Associated Press called him “singer-songwriter with a roast folk image” And “The stoner troubadour and the space comedian.”
He modeled himself – and sometimes met and studied with artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark And John Prine. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and Tom Jones. And he co-wrote the song with Loretta Lynn which appeared on her 2016 album “Full Circle.”
“He conveyed so much tenderness and sensitivity through his songs and showed many of us how to see the world through a different lens,” his label said in a statement Saturday. “He got up every morning and began to write, always seeking to find his place among the songwriting giants who sat on his record shelves, the same giants who had let him into their lives and taken him under their wing, whom he studied tirelessly.”
Snider did his best known and most popular work for Prine's independent Oh Boy label in the early 2000s. It included the albums New Connection, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms and East Nashville Skyline, the 2004 collection considered by many to be his best.
These albums produced his most famous songs: “I Can't Complain”, “Beer Run” and “Alright Guy”.
Snyder was born and raised in Oregon before settling and playing music in San Marcos, Texas. He eventually made his way to Nashville, and some dubbed him the unofficial “Mayor of East Nashville,” taking the title from a friend thus immortalized in his “Train Song.” In 2021, Snyder said a tornado that tore through a neighbor's house and into a vibrant arts center severely damaged his home.
Snyder had an early fan at Jimmy Buffettwho signed the young artist to his Margaritaville label, which released his first two albums: 1994's Songs for the Daily Planet and 1996's Step Right Up.
