Songwriter Don Schlitz has passed away. The talented songwriter died on April 16 in a Nashville hospital, following a sudden illness. Schlitz was 73 years old when he died.

A member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, Schlitz is the writer behind some of country music’s most iconic hits. Among his many, many songwriting credits are Kenny Rogers‘ “The Gambler” and “The Greatest”, “On the Other Hand” and “Forever and Ever, Amen,” by Randy Travis, “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and “When You Say Nothing At All” by Keith Whitley.

Don Schlitz Joins the Grand Ole Opry

A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame since 2017, Schlitz was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 202 by his good friend, Vince Gill.

“It’s such an honor to be here, to represent and to be a part of this family,” Schlitz said at the time. “I especially want to thank the people who supported me, and believed in me through this journey.”

Schlitz also thanked his wife, Stacey, who has been the biggest champion of his career.

“Thank you so much for always saying, ‘It’s okay. You can do this,'” he said.

The Story Behind Don Schlitz’s First Hit, “The Gambler”

One of country music’s most iconic songs, “The Gambler” is Schlitz’s first hit. Written solely by Schlitz, the song is the title track of Rogers’s sixth studio album.

“I wrote it in August of ’76, walking home from a meeting with my mentor, Bob McDill,” Schlitz said (via American Songwriter). “I walked from his office over on Music Row to my apartment, and in that 20 minutes, I wrote most of it in my head. I didn’t write a last verse, had no idea what was gonna happen. [I] thought it was an interesting story, but it was a throwaway. I spent about six weeks trying to figure out what was gonna happen after the chorus.”

“I finally settled on the eight lines of the last verse … and nobody would touch it,” he adds.

The last eight lines say, “And when he finished speaking / He turned back toward the window / Crushed out his cigarette / And faded off to sleep / And somewhere in the darkness / The gambler he broke even / But in his final words / I found an ace that I could keep.”

Other Country Songs Written by Don Schlitz

Schlitz has had far too many hits to list. But among his many credits are Tanya Tucker’s “Strong Enough to Bend”, “40 Hour Week (For a Livin’)” by Alabama, “Good As I Was To You” by Lorrie Morgan, “If You Can Do Anything Else” by George Strait, and Reba McEntire’s “One Promise Too Late”, among others.

Funeral services have yet to be revealed. Everything Nash extends our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

Photo Credit: Chris Hollo