Joe Diffie, one of the most popular country artists of the ’90s and early 2000s, died Sunday, March 29, from complications of coronavirus (COVID-19). He was 61.
Diffie charted his first No. 1 hit, “Home,” in 1990. Other chart-topping singles include “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Third Rock From the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.” He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 and appeared there in 2019 for the induction of Luke Combs, who cited him an inspiration.
One of the finest traditionalists of his era, Diffie nonetheless built his career on lighthearted songs such as “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (When I Die)” from 1993, and “John Deere Green,” from 1994. As a songwriter, he claimed a three-week No. 1 hit with Jo Dee Messina’s “My Give a Damn’s Busted” in 2005.