Blake Shelton is speaking out about the loss of his good friend, John Anderson. Anderson was just 71 years old when he unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday, October 21.
“There is too much for me to say about John Anderson in just a statement,” Shelton writes on social media. “I am sick and I am stunned. But I am a very lucky man. I got the opportunity to find out that my hero wasn’t just the guy I hoped he’d be. He was so much more than that. John was my friend.”
Shelton also reveals that he was able to spend time with Anderson on Sunday, October 18, when they were both at the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Anderson was inducted in 2024. Shelton was at the ceremony to perform “Some Beach” in tribute to Paul Overstreet, who was inducted alongside Tim McGraw and The Stanley Brothers.
“I got to see him last Sunday,” Shelton adds. “And I don’t even know why but I told him I loved him. That is what fills my heart in this moment. My love and prayers go out to John’s family. This one really hurts.”
View this post on Instagram
What Blake Shelton Says About John Anderson
Shelton has been very vocal throughout his career that it’s Anderson who became one of his biggest inspirations. In fact, one of Shelton’s earliest musical memories involves watching Anderson sing “Swingin'” at an awards show. Ten years later, Shelton was listening to him in his car as a teenager driving around his hometown of Ada, Oklahoma.
“I think it is as simple as, for me anyway, to look as an outsider, how unique and different and special he is as an artist to stand out among, at the time, probably a completely new generation of country artists who were out having hits,” Shelton tells American Songwriter. “Then here comes John Anderson from the ‘70s and early ‘80s and just absolutely goes on a tear again all the way up into the early 2000s. He was having another string of hits again out of nowhere because his voice just sounds like home.”
The Loss of John Anderson
Anderson’s family shared the heartbreaking news that the country music icon had passed away.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend,” the family writes. “To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special. We are completely heartbroken.
“His music will live on, but for us, his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave his family and the memories we will carry with us forever,” the statement continues. “Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this unimaginable loss.”
View this post on Instagram