The singer and songwriter, also provocateur and politician, Kinky Friedman has passed away at the age of 79.
Richard Friedman, his real name, was born in Chicago but grew up in Texas.
He first made a name for himself as the front figure of the band Texas Jewboys, which toured with Bob Dylan in the 1970s.
The following decade, Friedman turned to writing. He wrote a large number of books, including satirical detective novels set in New York. Among his readers are, among others, former President Bill Clinton.
In the early 2000s, Friedman gained great attention again. This time for his political career, when he, among other things, tried to become governor of Texas.
Friedman passed away on his family's ranch in Texas on Thursday. According to a close friend, Friedman had suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years.
He died peacefully. He smoked a cigar, went to bed, and never woke up, says friend Kent Perkins to AP.
