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American country singer-songwriter, author and aspiring politician Kinky Friedman, known as the “Jewish Cowboy,” died Wednesday at the age of 79, his estate said.
“The kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow in his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family and friends,” Friedman’s official account posted on X on Thursday. “The Kinkster has suffered tremendous pain and unimaginable loss in recent years, but he has never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as long as his books are read and his songs are sung.”
Friedman reportedly died of Parkinson’s disease.
Richard Samet “Kinky” Friedman was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Russian-Jewish parents in 1944 and grew up in Texas – a mainstay of his public persona. Friedman called himself the “Jewish Cowboy” after his song “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” a nod to his failed attempt at a political career in 2006 when he ran for Texas governor against Republican incumbent Rick Perry.
Kinky Friedman stepped on the rainbow at her beloved Echo Hill, surrounded by family and friends. The Kinkster suffered tremendous pain and unimaginable loss in recent years, but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as long as his books are read and his songs are sung. pic.twitter.com/sIXnoglSby
— Kinky Friedman (@FriedmanKinky) June 27, 2024
One of six candidates in that election, Friedman won just under 13% of the vote.
A close friend of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, Friedman made a name for himself mostly in the country music scene. His 1973 album Sold American included provocative songs like High on Jesus and Ride ‘Em Jewboy about the Holocaust and the religious minority in heavily Christian Texas.
Friedman, who wrote some of his music while serving in the Peace Corps in Borneo, was a favorite of Nelson Mandela, who is said to have listened to Friedman’s songs while imprisoned for his opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
Friedman was also the author of several detective novels and a contributor to Texas Monthly magazine.
When announcing X’s death, Friedman’s estate also published an excerpt from a column he wrote in 1993 after the death of his cat, which read: “They say that when you die and go to heaven, all the dogs and cats that ever you had in your life run to meet you. Until then, rest in peace, Cuddles.”
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