Kinky Friedman, Texas Musician & Humorist, Dies at 79

Kinky Friedman, the country singer-songwriter known for songs like “Sold American” and his quick wit in his writings, interviews and beyond, died at his home in Texas. He was 79 years old.

His death was announced via a statement posted to X. “Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends,” the message read. “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.”

Additionally, following the news of his death, Friedman’s estate posted a sweet excerpt from one of his 1993 columns about his love for animals: “They say when you die and go to heaven all the dogs and cats you’ve ever had in your life come running to meet you.”

In the music world, Friedman’s best known album was 1973’s Sold American, which featured the title track, “High On Jesus,” “The Ballad Of Charles Whitman” and more. He also had a humor-filled campaign to run for Texas governor back in 2006. “How hard can it be?’ was the slogan of the Texas Governor Candidate. Despite the longshot, he managed to garner almost 13% of the vote.

He also ran a popular column at Texas Monthly, and released a series of successful novels, including 1986’s Greenwich Killing Time, 1987’s A Case Of Lone Star, 1988’s When the Cat’s Away and, most recently, 2008’s What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed Up World.