Country music singer Ferlin Husky dies at 85

March 17, 2011 3:44 PM PT

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Ferlin Husky, a country music hall of famer who had hits with ‘Wings of a Dove,’ ‘Gone’ and, with Jean Shepard, ‘Dear John Letter’ in the 1950s and ‘60s, died Thursday at his home in Nashville. He was 85.

The Missouri native moved to Bakersfield after serving in World War II. He signed with Capitol Records and helped pave the way for Merle Haggard and Buck Owens out of the Central Valley.

We’ll have more later at latimes.com/obits.

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Ferlin Husky on the Hollywood Star Walk

-- Claire Noland

Afterword

Claire Noland

Claire Noland, who joined the Los Angeles Times in 1994, became editor of curated email newsletters in spring 2015. She had been in the Obituary Department since 2006, the last six years as editor. Before that, she was an editor in Sports. A California native and graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles, she worked at the Antelope Valley Press, Los Angeles Daily News and Minneapolis Star Tribune. She left The Times in December 2015.

Country music singer Ferlin Husky dies at 85

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