Outlaw country music legend Merle Haggard has died on his 79th birthday.
Haggard had been battling pneumonia, and died surrounded by his family.
His biggest hit was 1969's 'Okie from Muskogee', which though sounding like a typical country song of the era, satirised small-town USA and was even covered by counter-culture groups like the Grateful Dead.
Before finding fame Haggard had a number of run-ins with the law, which were later pardoned by then-Governor of California, Ronald Reagan.
In his career Haggard racked up 38 number one hits on the US country charts. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994.
His most recent album was Django & Jimmie, a collaboration with Willie Nelson. They were due to go out on tour before Haggard fell ill.
Newshub.
