Lifestyle

He experienced a significant loss: Regardless of your opinions on Blake Shelton, he didn’t deserve this

Published

2w ago

Nov 06, 2024 / 4373 Views

Evan Walker

Blake Shelton paid tribute to his late friend Joe Bonsall, who passed away recently. Joe was a longtime member of The Oak Ridge Boys, a celebrated country and gospel group, from 1973 until his death in 2024.

On Tuesday, Blake, 48, shared a heartfelt photo on his Instagram Stories of himself performing alongside The Oak Ridge Boys. While the exact details of the photo’s location and date are unclear, Blake expressed his sorrow over Joe’s passing, saying: “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Joe Bonsall”.

He fondly recalled: “I have never seen Joe without a genuine smile on his face. He loved singing more than anyone I’ve ever met”. Blake extended his thoughts and prayers to Joe’s family and fellow bandmates, stating: “Today, we have all experienced the loss of someone truly important”.

In 2016, Blake and The Oak Ridge Boys collaborated on the song “Doing It to Country Songs”. Joe’s death was attributed to Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive condition affecting voluntary muscle control, which has no known cure. Fans became aware of Joe’s struggle with the illness in January 2024, four years after he announced his condition and retirement from the band.

Joe is survived by his daughters, Jennifer and Sabrina, from his marriage to Mary Ann, as well as two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The Bonsall family shared in a statement that Joe authored 11 books, with his memoir, I See Myself, scheduled for release in November. He cherished his time at the farm and was a devoted fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, but emphasized that his faith and family were his greatest priorities.

The Oak Ridge Boys, consisting of Joe, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen, and William Lee Golden, are famous for hits like “Elvira”, “Come On In” and “Bobbie Sue”. The band was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015 and has won five Grammy Awards. As the group embarks on a farewell tour that will last for about a few month, they reflect on their legacy, despite the original lineup no longer being intact. Joe’s love for music, reading, and writing, along with his skills on the banjo, will be fondly remembered by fans and loved ones alike.

PRAY FOR MELANIE GRIFFITH!

Melanie Griffith begs for prayers as her mother is evacuated from big cat sanctuary in path of ferocious LA wildfire that has gutted homes, destroyed 22,000 acres of land AND the set for Wipeout

Melanie Griffith asked for prayers after her mother was evacuated from a wildlife sanctuary because of raging wildfires in Los Angeles.

The actress wrote on Twitter: ‘Please say a prayer for all residents in the path of the #SandFire . My Moms place Shambala is being evacuated.’

Griffith’s 86-year-old mother, Tippi Hedren, opened the preserve in 1983 following on from her film Roar.

There are over 40 big cats – including lions, tigers, cougars, black and spotted leopards, servals, bobcats, and an Asian leopard cat – who are cared for at the ranch.

On Sunday evening, Griffith, 58, confirmed that her mom was safe and the beloved cats had been saved. She wrote: ‘Mom is safe! Shambala is safe. Now sending love and thanks to all the firefighters who saved her and the cats.’

They accept donations for The Roar Foundation, the organization that runs the center.

Sable Ranch – a filming set used in the A-Team, 24 and Supernatural and the site for the Wipeout set – has also been destroyed.

The blaze has grown ferocious new power two days after it broke out, sending so much smoke in the air that planes making drops on it had to be grounded.

Officials said it has run through the area ‘like a freight train’.

The latest figures released by the authorities say the blaze is at 20 percent containment and a total of 18 family homes have been gutted in the areas of Sand Canyon, Bear Divide and Little Tujunga.

On Saturday, authorities said the Sand Fire was at 20 per cent containment, but the U.S. Forest Service corrected that figure and said the fire remains at 10 per cent containment. Above firefighters battled the Sand Fire on Sunday

About 300 miles up the coast, crews were battling another blaze spanning 10,000 acres (16 square miles) north of the majestic Big Sur region.

Authorities say almost 1,700 firefighters who are being hindered by scorching temperatures of up to 112 degrees are battling the blaze in the mountains north of Los Angeles known as the Sand Fire.

On Sunday crews faced another day of hot weather, low humidity and high winds that could once again fan the fires’ explosive growth. Shifting winds sent smoke away from greater Los Angeles and into desert communities, where residents were warned about poor air quality.

Late Saturday evening, a man’s body was found outside a home on Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. Detectives are working to determine whether he was killed by the blaze or another cause, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Rob Hahnlein said.