Slim Whitman is ALIVE!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's official!

On 1-21, I received an e-mail from a normally very reliable source which stated that Slim Whitman had passed away. I verified this by checking Wikipedia, then proceeded to write an obituary in tribute to the man.

The story quickly became muddled however, as no other outlets were reporting the death. It was originally reported in The Tennessean, but all but the title of the story disappeared the following day. I quickly began receiving queries from concerned fans asking where I'd gotten my information. They were convinced, rightly so as it turns out, that Mr.Whitman was alive and well.

I'd like to thank the members of The Steel Guitar Forum for their original queries and information which they passed along to me. For you guys, here are some real news reports:

From The Florida Times Union:

Rumors that country crooner Slim Whitman died Sunday on his 84th birthday are, as they say, “greatly exaggerated.” Online and mainstream media reports that the famous Middleburg resident had died are wrong, he told the Times-Union today.

“I can still sing,” he said. “If you are dead, you can’t sing.” Whitman said he learned a day or so ago that an old friend was reporting that Whitman had died on his birthday.
“It got all over,” Whitman said.

And, from the original source of the premature obit, The Tennessean:

Slim Whitman would like to clear something up: He’s alive and doing pretty well despite reports of his death on Monday.

The country singer, who experienced his first surge in popularity in the ’50s, has no idea how it got started. But e-mails began circulating and next thing you know, a disc jockey was announcing it on the air, a tearful friend performing on stage was announcing it to his audience and online sources reported it in news updates, including Tennessean.com on Monday.
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“All of a sudden on Sunday, Jan. 20, I died,” said Whitman, who turned 84 on Sunday. “I knew it was a lie. I kept looking at it. I thought, this could sort of get out of hand here. I thought, oh well, if it gets out of hand, I’ll go on a TV show and show them that I’m not dead.”

Whitman lives on his Woodpecker Paradise estate outside Jacksonville, Fla. He says he’s in great shape. The only medication he takes is an aspirin every other day because his doctor told him to. He doesn’t even wear glasses.

“As a matter of fact I don’t feel anything like 84 years old. …I don’t know why I don’t, but I don’t feel like an old man,” he said. The fact that people recognize him in the grocery store still leads him to believe he doesn’t look like an old man either.

This morning, Whitman spent time on the air for a Jacksonville radio station and he has gotten many inquiries since the news of his death circulated.

Great news for fans, and obviously Mr.Whitman! May you have many more years of great health and happiness!

Slim Whitman dies at 84

UPDATE!!! Mr.Whitman is still with us! Read the rest of this GREAT NEWS by clicking HERE!



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Country artist Slim Whitman died today at the age of 84. Though he was once known as "America's Favorite Folksinger," Whitman achieved more fame in Europe than in the United States. Best remembered for his early-'50s hit singles like "Love Song of the Waterfall," "Indian Love Call," and "Singing Hills," he was an excellent yodeler known for singing mellow, romantic and clean-cut songs.

"Love Song of the Waterfall," which became his breakthrough hit, peaked at #10 on the country charts; the follow-up single, "Indian Love Call," made him a star, peaking at number two on the country charts and crossing over into the pop Top Ten. You may recall "Indian Love Call" actually saving the world in the 1996 movie "Mars Attacks!", where it proved fatal to the invading Martians.

Indian Love Call


Both sides of his next single -- "Keep It a Secret" / "My Heart Is Broken in Three" -- were also major hits and he continued to have a string of Top Ten hits into the mid-'50s, including "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Unchain My Heart," and "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen." In 1965, he bounced back into the country Top Ten with "More Than Yesterday."

More Than Yesterday


For the next few years, he had a series of minor country hits, including "Rainbows Are Back in Style" (1968), "Happy Street" (1968) and "Tomorrow Never Comes" (1970). Throughout the early '70s, he continued to have minor hits, but in 1974, he retired from active recording. For his contribution to the recording industry, Whitman has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street. In 2003, Rob Zombie used his song "I Remember You" in his directoral debut House of 1000 Corpses.

I Remember You (Intro by Andy Kaufman)


Apparently there is still some mystery regarding whether Mr.Whitman has passed or not. The following was on Wikipedia earlier, but has since vanished. If I receive information that he still alive I will post a follow up/retraction:

Slim Whitman
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