Grief-Torn Willie Nelson, 91, 'On Verge of Death' After His Old Music Outlaw Pals Have 'Fallen Like Leaves Around Him'
Willie Nelson, 91, is said to be getting reflective about his mortality.
Dec. 6 2024, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
Living country legend Willie Nelson's musical outlaw pals have mostly fallen like leaves from a tree – and loved ones fear he'll soon be riding off into the sunset himself.
The 91-year- old red headed stranger was so despondent over the September death of best buddy Kris Kristofferson, 88, that he waited nearly two months to speak about it and then let loose a torrent of hurt over the loss, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
"I hated to lose him", he said. "That was a sad time. Kris was a great friend of mine. And, you know, we just kind of had a lot of fun together and made a lot of music together."
Nelson's musical "outlaw" pals have mostly fallen like leaves from a tree, a source said.
The death left Willie as the last living member of the country music supergroup The Highwaymen which included Kristofferson, along with late country legends Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings.
"If you just take the music part of it and go back to Waylon and Kris and John and all of us working together, Highwaymen, and then I am the only one left", Willie lamented. "That's just not funny."
He has also been rocked by the 2020 death of his friend and band drummer for 50 years, Paul English, and in 2022, the loss of his sister and band piano player Bobbie and his adored friend Loretta Lynn.
Nelson has also been rocked by the loss of his adored friend Loretta Lynn.
"Willie says the hardest part of living as long as he has is seeing his friends and musical contemporaries leave before him", confided a friend.
"He knows he's fortunate to be living such a long life, but the sense of loss is just overwhelming. It's a heavy cross to bear.
"It puts him in the frame of mind that he has nothing to fear about joining them in the great beyond."
A friend said: 'Willie says the hardest part of living as long as he has is seeing his friends and musical contemporaries leave before him.'
Willie, who has battled emphysema and other health problems that caused canceled dates on his Outlaw Music Festival tour last summer, pondered his lonely life on his just-released album Last Leaf on the Tree.
While sources said Willie has great family support in wife Annie, 67, and their two musician sons, Lukas, 35, and Micah, 34, who both perform with their father – an uncommon sense of melancholy is settling in as he grieves over his passed pals.
Nelson said he is trying to keep himself steady as all his old pals die.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Still, the plainspoken superstar said he keeps a simple thought as he readies himself for his final bow.
"I don't have any reason to worry about dying", mused the guitar strummer. "I don't know anybody who's lived forever!"
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email RadarOnline.com at tips@radaronline.com.
