Who was Abe Stoklasa? Tributes pour in as Nashville musician and songwriter dies aged 38

Revered Nashville musician and songwriter Abe Stoklasa died on Friday, November 17. The Princeton, Missouri, native was 38 years of age at the time of his death. The reason for his passing has not yet been disclosed as of this writing. The singer was famous for writing music for Lady A, Chris Lane, Charlie Worsham, and Tim McGraw among others. He also toured with the likes of David Nail and Billy Currington.

Several fans took to social media to pay tribute to the late artist after the news of his demise surfaced online. David Nail called Abe a "true genius" in a moving Instagram tribute while Lady A's Charles Kelley said that he was "otherworldly."

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Abe Stoklasa wrote hit tracks for several artists including Blake Shelton

Abe Stoklasa was considered to be one of Tennessee's finest songwriters. Local publication, The Tennessean detailed that Abe was a young prodigy who began singing for local bands at the age of 6. He graduated from Eagleville High School's class of 2005 as a co-valedictorian.

While at Belmont University, Abe worked with the likes of songwriters including Mark D. Sanders and Mike Reid. He later picked up the Saxophone and the steel guitar and toured alongside Billy Currington and Davi Nail. He also opened for Kenny Chesney on a stadium tour in 2011.

Two years later in 2013, he stopped touring to focus completely on songwriting. In 2014, he and Donovan Woods wrote the hit track Portland, Maine for Tim McGraw. He signed with Big Yellow Dog Music in 2016, which became a big year for Abe Stoklasa after he ranked at No.1 on the Country Airplay chart for his work on Chris Lane's Fix.

In the same year, he was also part of the writing crew for Charles Kelley's Grammy-nominated hit The Driver. He is credited for crafting songs for Billy Currington (Give It To Me Straight), Charlie Worsham (Call You Up), Scotty McCreery (Here and Ready), Lady A (Ocean), and even Blake Shelton (A Girl).

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"The songwriting world is a little quieter today": Netizens pay tribute to Abe Stoklasa

A plethora of tributes flooded social media after the news of Abe Stoklasa's passing came to light. Netizens took to Instagram and Twitter to pay tribute to one of Nashville, Tennessee's finest talents, whom they hailed as a "gifted writer."

David Nail, for whom Abe wrote Lie With Me, stated in an Instagram tribute that the late songwriter was "beyond unique, and beyond talented." He called him the definition of a "true genius" and recalled the time when Abe toured alongside him as a steel guitar player. He also called him a "natural" at songwriting.

Nail confessed that he had grown apart from Abe Stoklasa in the last couple of years, but stated that he had spent the last 16 hours listening to every song of his. He wished he could tell him that he loved him one more time and wrote:

"He was different, difficult at times, irritating too, but he was a good man, with a golden heart."

Lady A member Charles Kelley also shared a tribute on Instagram and said that the late star's mind moved at a pace that he could never comprehend. He referred to him as a "true enigma" and as a "musician's musician," as he said:

"He was confidence and self doubt all wrapped in one. He frustrated me and inspired me all at the same time."

He added:

"Nashville will never see another Abe Stoklasa. I’ll miss you my soft spoken friend."

Charlie Worsham posted an Instagram video, in which he recalled Abe Stoklasa as being "wickedly hilarious" and "wickedly talented". He spoke about Abe's talent and the depth of his adoration for Aretha Franklin and Vince Gill. Worsham also wrote about the time that he spent writing music and sharing funny memes with Abe, who he called a "one-of-a-kind gem."

As mentioned above, the official cause of Abe Stoklasa's death has not been confirmed as of this writing. More information on his funeral arrangements is also currently awaited.