Jerry Jeff Walker, outlaw country star and Mr. Bojangles writer, dies aged 78

Jerry Jeff Walker
(Image credit: Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns)

Jerry Jeff Walker, the country music innovator best known for writing the widely covered song Mr. Bojangles, has died from throat cancer aged 78.

His wife, Susan Walker, confirmed the news of his death to the Statesman, saying that he “went very peacefully”, and that he was “at home until an hour before his passing.”

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Sam Roche

Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.