Randy Scruggs, an award-winning Country musician, songwriter, and studio owner, died Tuesday after a short illness at age 64.
Scruggs was a four-time Grammy Award winner for his guitar work between 1989 and 2001, and was named CMA Musician of the Year in 1999, 2003, and 2006. He produced recordings by country stars including Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm, Toby Keith, and Alison Krauss.
Scruggs also played on albums by everyone from Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash to Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks.
He was the son of banjo legend Earl Scruggs and artist manager Louise Scruggs, and participated in his first recording session at age 13.
In the 1980s and '90s, more than 100 songs written or co-written by Scruggs were recorded by major acts, including Sawyer Brown’s “Shakin’” and Deana Carter’s "We Danced Anyway," Rolling Stone said. He released a solo album, "Crown of Jewels," in 1998 that was filled with guest artists.
He founded the Scruggs Sound Studios facility in Nashville where many recordings were cut by major artists like Tanya Tucker, Ronny Milsap, and Anne Murray. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s "Will the Circle Be Unbroken II" earned him a CMA award for Album of the Year in 1989.
Scruggs recently sold the studio to Canadian singer-songwriter Johnny Reid, who Music Row said wants to keep the facility’s musical legacy intact.
Scruggs is survived by his wife Sandy, daughter Lindsey, and brother Gary. No funeral service is planned but a memorial event will be held at a later date, Music Row said.
Many who worked with Scruggs took to Twitter to share their condolences over his death.
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