Country singer Jack Greene dies at 83

Country singer Jack Greene has died at age 83. The ‘Jolly Green Giant’ was best remembered for 1960s hits like “There Goes My Everything” and “Statue of a Fool.”

According to USA Today, Greene died on Thursday. He was a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry before announcing his retirement in 2011.

CMT reports that he was born in Maryville, Tennessee on Jan. 7, 1930 and learned to play guitar when he was just 8 years old. He started his career right out of high school, joining the Cherokee Trio. Before he was drafted into the Army, he also played with the Rhythm Ranch Boys and Cecil Griffith & the Young 'Uns.

However, his career really took off in 1962, when he joined Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadours. His vocals on “The Last Letter” so impressed Decca Records that he earned a solo contract. “There Goes My Everything” was a huge hit in 1967, topping the country charts for two months and helping him win three awards at the first CMA AWards.

He continued to score hit singles until the early 1970s, but returned to the charts in the early 1980s with “Yours for the Taking” and “If It's Love (Then Bet It All).”