TENNESSEE (CelebrityAccess) – Veteran singer-songwriter and pastor John Kilzer died suddenly this week at the age of 62.
Kilzer’s church, St. John’s United Methodist, where he served as associate pastor for recovery ministries, released a statement Tuesday evening confirming the news:
“It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the sudden death of John Kilzer, our associate pastor of recovery ministries and our friend. May love and peace be poured over John’s loved ones and this community as we grieve the incredible loss of this beloved member of the St. John’s Family.”
While a cause of death was not disclosed, several of Kilzer’s friends and associates confirmed that the musician—who’d battled alcohol issues much of his life but been sober since 2000—had been struggling with his addiction again, reports The AP.
A native of Jackson, Tennessee, Kilzer was born in 1957 and was a one time Memphis State basketball player.
His musical career began in the late 1980s, when he was signed to Geffen Records and released a pair of roots-rock albums, Memory in the Making in 1988 and Busman’s Holiday in 1991. He had a minor rock radio hit with the song “Red Blue Jeans,” which brought him exposure on MTV and television shows like “Melrose Place.”
Kilzer’s songs were later recorded by the likes of Rosanne Cash, Trace Adkins and Maria Muldaur, among others.
He was scheduled to play at the Beale Street Music Festival in May.
