Dickens was 94 years old. He has suffered a stroke on Christmas Day and he died of cardiac arrest on January 2, 2015. He was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. He made his final appearance on the hallowed Opry stage on December 20.
He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1948, as well as a member of the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1983.
Dickens was known for his close friendship with country superstar Brad Paisley. He appeared in many of his music videos, and he was featured in several bonus tracks of Paisley’s albums.
In November of 2011, Little Jimmy Dickens made a cameo on the Country Music Association (CMA) awards in Nashville, where he was dressed as teen pop star Justin Bieber (during the time of the Bieber paternity scandal that had hit the media). A YouTube clip of that witty skit can be seen by clicking here.
His single “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” was his most successful to date, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs charts for two weeks in 1965.
Opry General Manager and Vice President Pete Fisher remarked in a statement, “The Grand Ole Opry did not have a better friend than Little Jimmy Dickens.”
Fisher continued, “He loved the audience and his Opry family, and all of us loved him back. He was a one-of-kind entertainer and a great soul whose spirit will live on for years to come.”
May he rest in peace.
