Country singer-songwriter Mark McGuinn, best known for his 2001 hit "Mrs. Steven Rudy," has died at 58. His obituary says he passed away Oct. 26 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and no cause of death has been reported. His niece, Jamie Lynn, shared the news on social media.
A jazz-trained musician who played guitar, piano and trumpet, McGuinn took "Mrs. Steven Rudy" to No. 6 on Billboard's country chart and No. 44 on the Hot 100. Released on the independent VFR Records, the song was reportedly the first Top 10 country hit by a new independent-label artist in more than four decades.
After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, McGuinn wrote and recorded the tribute "More Beautiful Today." He asked that it not be promoted to radio and offered it as a free download, but listeners and stations embraced it anyway, and it still reached the country chart.
Georgette Jones, who met McGuinn through a shared publishing company, wrote on Facebook that he was loved and asked people to pray for his friends and family.
In place of flowers, the family invites donations to the MusiCares Foundation, which helps music professionals in need, or to Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro.
JubileeCast joins fans in lifting up McGuinn's family and loved ones in prayer.
