Hank Williams died 70 years ago this week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KYMA, KECY) - 70 years ago today, the funeral was held for country music legend Hank Williams in Nashville with thousands of mourners attending. The line was so long, it snaked along four blocks downtown.

Williams' passed a few days before that, found dead of a heart attack in the back seat of a Cadillac enroute to a show at the age of 29. A deadly combo of pills and booze, Williams had a doctor similar to the Michael Jackson situation, who was all too eager to dope him up and keep the singer dependent.

Williams' importance in music can't be understated. He was the first rock star before there was rock, the first hard living rebel in the music industry.

But more than that, he put a level of depth in music that wasn't heard before. Just listen to "Lost Highway" or "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry," and the lyrics will cut you to the core. Music before Williams was a little more simpler, a little more surface level.

And by creating a quicker harder beat, he penned what is cited as one of the first rock and roll songs with "Move it on Over".

We thank Luke the Drifter for his unending contribution.