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B.J. Thomas, a handsome, curly-haired crooner who climbed the music charts in the late 1960s and ’70s, recording richly orchestrated, irresistibly catchy pop songs such as “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” died May 29 at his home in Arlington, Texas …
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We just got words that B.J. Thomas had died today (May 29) at his home in Arlington, Texas, from complications due to stage four lung cancer. He is famous for his songs “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.” To keep track of all the musicians who died this year, head over to Musicians Who Died in 2021.

Below is an excerpt from the press release:

Five-time Grammy award winner and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, B.J. Thomas, died today at home in Arlington, Texas at the age of 78 from complications due to stage four lung cancer.

Few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than B.J. Thomas. With his smooth, rich voice and unerring song sense, Thomas’s expansive career crossed multiple genres, including country, pop, and gospel, earning him CMA, Dove, and Grammy awards and nominations since his emergence in the 1960s.

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Funeral arrangements are forthcoming and will remain private. In lieu of flowers, in-memoriam donations will be accepted by Mission Arlington, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and the SPCA of Texas.

Although he’s responsible for many iconic songs, he remains ever so humble on his life and his work: “All I am is just another guy. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had a wonderful life, I’ve been a husband and a father who cherishes his children and now I’m a grandfather, and I’m motivated like all these teachers and preachers and mothers and fathers to help my kids grow up with character and self-respect. I hope that doesn’t sound too grandiose, but that’s what it comes down to. It’s what I’ve tried to do with my music and with the majority of my life.”

Rest in peace.