Grammy-winning folk singer Nanci Griffith has died at the age of 68.
The Texas-born crooner’s management team confirmed her death on Friday but gave no cause.
“It was Nanci’s wish that no further formal statement or press release happen for a week following her passing,” Gold Mountain Entertainment said in a statement.
Singer Darius Rucker tweeted his sadness after Griffith’s passing. “Today i am just sad man. I lost one of my idols. One of the reasons I am in Nashville.She blew my mind the first time I heard Marie and Omie. And singing with her was my favorite things to do. Grammy-winning folk singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith dies,” he wrote.
Griffith was known for such hits as “Love at the Five and Dime,” “Once in a Very Blue Moon” and “Outbound Plane.” She also won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for her record “Other Voices, Other Rooms.”
She also worked closely with other folk singers, including Lyle Lovett and Emmylou Harris. Her cover of “From a Distance” — a song made popular by Bette Midler — was featured on her album, “Lone Star State of Mind” in 1987.
Griffith was born July 6, 1953, in Seguin, Texas, and raised in Austin. As a teen, she would perform at clubs and festivals around her hometown. She later attended the University of Texas and desired to become a teacher. However, she then decided to have a career as a musician in 1977. She released her debut album, “There’s a Light Beyond These Woods,” in 1978.
Griffith was married to performer Eric Taylor from 1976 until their divorce in 1982. Her high school boyfriend, John, died in a motorcycle accident and later inspired several of her songs. She was engaged to singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel in the 1990s, but the couple never tied the knot.