Joe Diffie, 61, Country Superstar from the 90s, Hits Included “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Home,” “Pick Up Man”

This stuff is getting serious. I never thought I’d be writing so man=y obits in a short period. We must take this virus seriously.

Now it’s claimed a great country superstar, Joe Diffie, who was 61 and a country radio staple in the 80s and 90s. His 18 country hits included “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Home,” “Pick Up Man,” “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Bigger Than the Beatles,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and “John Deere Green.”

There are outpourings of love for Joe all over social media. “Soul Man” Sam Moore tells me: “Joe Diffie and I became buddies all the way back when I recorded “Rainy Night in Georgia” with Conway Twitty. I had the great pleasure of singing with him at the Ryman and the Opry. I even did a cameo in one of his videos. His loss is shocking from this damn virus is shocking and shaken myself, my wife and my daughter Michelle, who had done a lot of TV production with him on his specials and videos.”