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Country singer, humorist, and novelist Kinky Friedman passed away at his Echo Hill ranch in Austin, Texas, at the age of 79 on June 27, 2024. The news was confirmed in a statement made through his official account on X, which explained that he died surrounded by family and friends, adding:
"Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung."
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According to a statement made to the Associated Press by Kinky's close friend Kent Perkins, the singer had suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years. However, no cause of death has been confirmed.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Friendman's fortune stands at an estimated $2 million.
Kinky Friedman spent two years teaching in the jungles of Borneo as part of the US Peace Corps
Hailing from Chicago, Richard Samet Friedman got the nickname Kinky because of his curly hair. According to the Associated Press, he grew up and died at his family's Echo Ranch, where he helped his sister run a camp for children whose parents were killed while serving in the military.
He formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots, while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. They recorded only one single, Schwinn 24/Beach Party Boo Boo.
After graduating, Kinky Friedman spent two years teaching in Borneo, Indonesia, as part of the United States Peace Corps. In a September 2001 essay written for Texas Monthly, he explained that he was paid 11 cents an hour for his job.
By the early 1970s, the country singer formed his satirical band, Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys (a play on the famous band Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys). In his piece for Texas Monthly, Friedman described the band as:
"A country band with a social conscience, a demented love child of Lenny Bruce and Bob Wills." He continued, "We were not destined to be embraced by Mr. and Mrs. Back Porch. In fact, in 1973 the Texas Jewboys received death threats in Nacogdoches, got bomb threats in New York, and required a police escort to escape radical feminists at the University of Buffalo."
True to its name, the group's songs had titles like They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore, Get Your Biscuits in the Oven, Proud to Be an A–hole From El Paso, and Your Buns in Bed.
Kinky Friedman released his self-titled studio album in 1974, which earned him the opening spot on Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue Tour (1975–1976). According to Distractify, the musician recorded 18 albums throughout his career, including both band and solo works. His single, Sold American, peaked at No. 69 on the US Country chart.
By the 1980s, the singer's music career waned, and he took to writing detective novels and authoring columns for Texas Monthly. Some of his books include God Bless John Wayne (1995), Kinky Friedman’s Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How to Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth (2004), and Elvis Jesus and Coca-Cola (1994).
Kinky Friedman also ventured into politics, running for governor of Texas (independent) in 2006. Unfortunately, he finished last with only 12.6% of the votes. He later unsuccessfully ran for state agriculture commissioner as a Democrat in 2010 and 2014.
As of now, there has been no official word about his funeral or memorial service.
