By: Andrea Morris
Southern rock singer Charlie Daniels was remembered by family and friends on Friday.
A funeral service was held in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at World Outreach Church where hundreds gathered to celebrate the life of a country music legend.
Daniels passed away on July 6 from a stroke at the Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee. He was 83.
He was a Christian who spoke openly about his beliefs and faith in Jesus Christ.
During an interview with CBN three years ago, the singer told Scott Ross that even with all of his accomplishments, there’s one thing that remained constant – his faith.
“I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ…if I can’t take him with me, I don’t want to go. I mean, that’s the only way I can think of to say it. I mean, I don’t want to go anywhere where Jesus can’t go…I don’t want to be without God’s blessings,” he said.
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Singer and songwriter Travis Tritt explained that Daniels was never critical of someone else’s thoughts or ideas on religion.
“He was never judgmental or preachy about his beliefs,” Tritt said. “If you believed differently than he did, that was okay. But he wasn’t ashamed to tell you at any given time how much he loved the Lord.”
“I have no doubt that if there’s any person that I’ve ever met that heard the words ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant,’ it was Charlie Daniels this past Monday,” he added.
The funeral began with Carolyn Corlew, a longtime background singer for the Charlie Daniels Band, singing “The Lord is My Shepherd.”
Tritt led the congregation in “Amazing Grace,” Gretchen Wilson sang “I’ll Fly Away” and Trace Adkins revisited his patriotic “Arlington.”
After the funeral, fans lined the streets during the procession to pay respect and for a final farewell.
Over the course of his career, Daniels received numerous accolades, including his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He also won two Dove Awards in 1995 and 1997.
And Daniels supported the military and gave his time and talent to numerous charitable organizations, including The Journey Home Project, that he founded in 2014 with his manager, David Corlew, to help veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Daniels is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son Charlie Daniels, Jr.