Nashville just lost one of its heroes.Eddy Arnold, crooner of old-school country classics like "Make the World Go Away" [see video], "Cattle Call" and "The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me," died this morning, a week shy of his 90th birthday.
The Music CIty icon had been in frail health since he lost his wife and injured his hip two months ago.
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Arnold was ranked as the No. 1 country singer in terms of chart success, per Top Country Singles 1944-1993. He recorded with guitar legend Chet Atkins and was managed for a spell by a pre-Elvis Col. Tom Parker.
Arnold helped to pioneer the so-called Nashville Sound, blending elements of pop, like strings, into his music.
As he put it: "I sing a little country, I sing a little pop and I sing a little folk, and it all goes together."