Jo Dipi and Allen Merrill, Popular American Singers, Pass Away... Complications from COVID-19

American country singer Joe Diffie / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Seulgi Kim] Popular American country singers Joe Diffie (61) and Allen Merrill (69) have died from complications related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On the 29th (local time), according to U.S. media outlets including Billboard, Joe Diffie passed away in Nashville, Tennessee due to complications from COVID-19. He had announced his positive diagnosis on the 27th.

On the same day, Allen Merrill, the original singer of "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," also passed away from COVID-19.

Billboard reported that Laura Merrill, Allen Merrill's daughter, shared the news of her father's death on her Facebook page on the 29th, saying "People are dying."

Laura Merrill said, "You might think that such a thing won't happen to you or your strong family, but it does. Stay home for yourself or for others."

Joe Diffie was a leading figure in the 1990s wave of country music popularity in the U.S., with five of his songs reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Allen Merrill, who mainly worked in Japan and the UK, formed the band Arrows and left songs such as "Touch Too Much" and "My Last Night With You."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.