Legendary country music band has message for fans after rash of deaths

It has been an absolutely heartbreaking year for The Oak Ridge Boys with the latest blow coming with the death of longtime member Joe Bonsall last week.

In the aftermath, the band took to social media to thank fans for the support through it all.

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“Thank you for your prayers, posts and support for each of us and our families during this season of loss (Duane Allen) (William Lee Golden) (Richard Sterban) (Joe Bonsall),” a post to the band’s X account, formerly Twitter, read.

There was also a graphic that had a message in the post.

“He pointed towards a distant shore and whispered to my soul,” it read. “Your journey now is o’er, my child rejoice, and welcome home…”

The post continued, “On behalf of our entire Oak Ridge Boys family, we want to thank you for your outpouring of love during this difficult season.

“Your kind words, prayers and continued support have brought us comfort and strength,” it continued. “Your posts, photos, and memories have been so abundant it has been impossible to acknowledge and share them all. But, rest assured, we see them, and we are grateful for each and every one of you.”

Bonsall, 76, died after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

“As a 50-year member of the American music group The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame,” the band posted on X at the time of his death.

It was the fifth death, and second in just a week, to rock the band this year.

William “Rusty” Golden, the son of band member William Lee Golden, also died this month.

“This is the hardest thing ever for a father to have to face,” William Lee Golden said in a release. “I love my family more than anything. Rusty was a great musician, a talented songwriter, and a wonderful son. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the days ahead. I love you, son.”

Also this year, Norah Lee Allen, the wife of frontman Duane Allen, died back on Easter. Allen addressed her death in a Facebook post a short time later.

“I have had a hard time even finishing sentences without crying since I lost the most beautiful lady I ever met, the love of my life,” he wrote. “I am so thankful to God almighty for letting me share her for 54 years and eight months of the happiest years of my life. She was the love of my life.”

Just hours after Allen announced his wife’s death on Easter, it was revealed that singer Richard Sterban’s wife, Donna, lost her father, too.

“Prayers for her family at this time of loss,” a post to the group’s X, formerly Twitter, page said. “Quite a memorable Easter … the good news is the promise of eternity with Jesus who conquered death that we may live.”

Also, Phyllis Carr, the wife of longtime guitarist Donnie Carr, died in March.

Bonsall announced back in January that he was leaving the road due to a “debilitating medical condition.”

“I am now at a point where walking is impossible, so I have basically retired from the road,” he reportedly said. “It has just gotten too difficult. It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys band crew and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I think you and ask for you to keep on praying.”

He returned to social media to address fans after that initial announcement.

“I am overwhelmed by the love shown to me this week,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I think I have heard from everyone I have ever known and many many more …. Thank you doesn’t seem adequate … but THANK YOU.”