He died of natural causes in Clarksville, Tennessee at the age of 81.
One of his most enduring songs, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” rocketed him to fame while his songs helped other artists gain top hits in the genre.
Countrysinger-songwriter Ed Bruce died on January 8. At the age of 81, he died of natural causes in Clarksville, Tennessee, with news of his passing shared by his publicist. One of his earliest and most enduring hits came from the song he penned, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
Bruce’s
careerspanned over six decades in the music and entertainment industry where he worked as a singer, musician, songwriter, and actor. In 2018, the University of Little Rock honored the Arkansas native with the Arkansas Country Music Award for “Lifetime Achievement.”
Country Singer Ed Bruce Who Co-Wrote Mammas Don t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys Dies at 81 People 1/9/2021
Iconic country star Ed Bruce has died. He was 81.
Bruce died of natural causes Friday, PEOPLE confirms. Throughout his decades-long career, he had become widely known as a country music legend with several hit songs, including all-time classic Mammas Don t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, which he co-wrote with his then-wife Patsy Bruce before the pair ultimately divorced in 1987. In 1982, he released You re the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had, featuring Lynn Anderson and it became country s No. 1 hit. The song charted for 21 weeks.