Merle Haggard died Wednesday at the age of 79, according to the ABC affiliate for Bakersfield, California and other sources.
The specific cause of death was not immediately released but it was known in March that Haggard was hospitalized for pneumonia. And pneumonia was the reason that his April concerts had been canceled.
TMZ reported that Haggard died in Redding, California.
Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1994. He was a Grammy winner and more than once named as the Top Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music.
