'The Gambler' Songwriter Don Schlitz Passes Away, Aged 73

Mary Varvaris

"Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Don Schlitz performing 'The Gambler'
Don Schlitz performing 'The Gambler'(Credit: YouTube)

American singer-songwriter and country music mainstay Don Schlitz has passed away at the age of 73.

Rolling Stone reports that no cause of death has been published, but a statement that announced his passing said he died in a Nashville hospital following the onset of a sudden illness.

“We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, commented in a statement via the Associated Press. “Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every stage and every lyric he ever wrote.

“Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, added, “Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler.’ Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz wrote more than 20 #1 hits on the US country music charts. Best known for his song The Gambler, which he wrote in 1976, famously recorded by Kenny Rogers, and which received mainstream success in 1978.

He was also the co-writer of more #1 hits, including Randy Travis’ Forever and Ever, Amen and Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss & Union Station’s When You Say Nothing at All. Additionally, he co-wrote hit songs for Alabama, John Denver, Lee Ann Womack, Paul Overstreet, Tanya Tucker, Waylon Jennings, The Judds, Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Strait, Reba McEntire, and many others.

Songs Schlitz wrote earned him two Grammy Awards and four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards.

For his songwriting, Schlitz was recognised by four different Hall of Fames: the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

In August 2022, he was named a member of the prestigious Grand Ole Opry.