Patrick Haggerty, Trailblazing Lavender Country Singer, Dead at 78
Patrick Haggerty, widely considered to have produced the first openly gay country record while at the helm of Lavender Country, has died. He was 78.
The band's official Instagram account posted a photo of Haggerty onstage wearing a cowboy hat while addressing a packed crowd. The caption revealed that Haggerty died Monday morning just weeks after suffering a stroke.
"This morning, we lost a great soul," the caption began. "RIP Patrick Haggerty. After suffering a stroke several weeks ago, he was able to spend his final days at home surrounded by his kids and lifelong husband, JB. Love, and solidarity. 💜💜💜."
The band's record company, Don Giovanni Records, also released a statement on Instagram mourning the loss of an iconic figure.
"Patrick Haggerty was one of the funniest, kindest, bravest, and smartest people I ever met," the statement read. "He never gave up fighting for what he believed in, and those around him who he loved and took care of will continue that fight. RIP Patrick (1944-2022)."
When the band dropped its self-titled album in 1973 -- with songs like "Come Out Singing" and "Cryin' These C**ksucking Tears" -- it was considered to be the first-ever openly gay-themed album. Haggerty recruited his friends from Seattle to form the trailblazing group, which was initially comprised of Michael Carr and Eve Morris.
Haggerty devoted his life to advocating for gay rights after he was kicked out of the Peace Corps for being gay. He had enlisted right after graduating from high school in Port Angeles, Washington, about three hours east of Seattle. Haggerty previously said he answered the call to activism following the Stonewall riots in the summer of 1969 in New York City.
According to Pitchfork, Haggerty grew up with large Catholic family, which included nine siblings. They lived on a dairy farm in rural Washington, where Haggerty said he had a supportive environment to be exactly himself.
"My dad said I could wear a ballerina outfit at 4-H camp and make blonde wigs out of twine to play like I had long hair with my sisters -- being really brazen and sissy in the 1950s in a very rural setting, all because my dad said I could," the late crooner told the outlet back in March. "I like to say the reason that I made Lavender Country when I made it was because my dad said I could."
RELATED CONTENT:
Leslie Jordan Dead at 67: New Details Behind Tragic Accident
Adam Zimmer, NFL Assistant Coach and Mike Zimmer's Son, Dead at 38
Julie Powell, Writer Who Inspired 'Julie & Julia,' Dead at 49
