Famed member of the country group The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe Bonsall, has died at the age of 76 — after announcing in January that he was leaving the group due to a neuromuscular disorder.

In a heartbreaking post on Tuesday on X from the hugely successful country and gospel group, the band announced that their longtime member had died from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The degenerative nervous system disease can affect nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, CNN noted.

“As a 50-year member of the American music group The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame,” the post read.

“Joseph is also the author of 11 books including his latest, a memoir titled ‘I See Myself,’ which releases in November,” the post added. “Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write. He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first—and we will see him again on the Promised Day.”

“For fifty years, Joe Bonsall was the Oak Ridge Boys’ sparkplug. His tenor voice was high and clear, and his jovial spirit always provided a jolt of energy, rousing audiences to come on in and take a load off. He lightened our cares every time he sang.”
—Kyle Young, CEO pic.twitter.com/p51kjbYAU8

— Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (@countrymusichof) July 9, 2024

No funeral is planned and in lieu of “flowers, donations may be made to The ALS Association or to the Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center,” the post continued. “The family is requesting privacy.”

Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement, “For 50 years, Joe Bonsall was the Oak Ridge Boys’ sparkplug,” Billboard reported. 

“He was as exciting a performer as any who ever hit a gospel or country stage,” Young added. “His tenor voice was high and clear, and his jovial spirit always provided a jolt of energy, immediately rousing audiences to come on in and take a load off. He certainly lightened our cares every time he sang.”

In January, Bonsall shared the news he was leaving the group and would not be part of the rest of its Farewell Tour that kicked off in 2023, due to his health issues.

“Many of you know I have been battling a slow onset (over 4 years now) of a neuromuscular disorder,” he wrote. “I am now to a point that walking is impossible so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult.”

“I will never forget and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying,” he added. “The @oakridgeboys will finish the Farewell Tour without me but rest assured I am good with all of it! God’s Got It!!!”

The country group was originally founded in 1943 in Tennessee, with Bonsall joining in 1973. The band is probably best known for such hits as “Elvira” and “American Made,” CNN noted.

He is survived by his wife Mary Ann, two daughters, a granddaughter, a grandson, two great grandsons, and a sister, the post on X read.

Actor Jay Johnston, of “Bob’s Burgers” and “Anchorman” fame, has pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from his connection to the events on January 6.

The 55-year-old was arrested last June and charged with a felony count of interfering with law enforcement officers during civil disorder along with multiple misdemeanor offenses, per NPR. 

Johnston pleaded guilty earlier this week to the felony charge. He is scheduled for sentencing on October 7.

A bystander video from the event allegedly shows him filming protesters near the barricades around Congress. An FBI affidavit stated that Johnston was part of a group who forced their way into the Capitol Building via a tunnel using stolen police riot shields, the outlet noted. 

The Justice Department called this spot “the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day.” The FBI claimed the video showed Johnston “handing up a stolen U.S. Capitol police shield to other rioters” and that he “participated with other rioters in a group assault” on law enforcement, per NBC News.

Johnston’s lawyer contacted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center after they began circulating images of the actor that day in an effort to get the public to help identify him. Further evidence presented against the “Bob’s Burgers” actor included receipts for a hotel stay in Washington, D.C. during the same time as the rally, and text messages between him and a friend.

“The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn’t. Thought it kind of turned into that. It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic,” Johnston shared via text.

The entertainment professional was a regular on the HBO comedy “Mr. Show with Bob and David” in the 1990s alongside Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. He also had appearances in the 2004 Will Ferrell comedy “Anchorman,” “Arrested Development,” “The Sarah Silverman Program,” and “Men in Black II.”

Johnston was previously asked not to return to his role as fan-favorite recurring character Jimmy Pesto on the animated series “Bob’s Burgers” after it was suspected that he was involved in the incidents on January 6. No charges had been filed against the actor when he was let go from the show.

Johnston has not had any Hollywood appearances since it was revealed that he attended the rally.

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