Legendary Bluegrass Musician Bobby Osborne Dead at 91

Bobby Osborne, the legendary bluegrass musician and one-half of band The Osborne Brothers, died Tuesday at the age of 91. 

Osborne was both a member of the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, which confirmed Osborne’s death. A cause of death was not released.

"Bobby Osborne was among the last of his generation of bluegrass pioneers," Opry executive producer and vice president Dan Rogers said in a statement obtained by The Tennessean. 

"What a profound loss for the Opry family and bluegrass music fans around the world. Mr. Osborne's legacy will live forever on this stage we love and wherever his style is emulated. Thank you to Bobby Osborne for more than 70 years of music and memories."

The 1967 song "Rocky Top," which became a Tennessee state song in 1982, was first popularized by Osborne and his brother (and bandmate) Sonny, becoming a concert staple for the pair in the late 1960s and early 1970s as they skyrocketed to fame for their unique vocal melodies. 

Osborne, who was a native of Kentucky, was both a lauded guitarist and fan of the mandolin, and together with Sonny, The Osborne Brothers received numerous nominations for their work—including six for CMA vocal group of the year between 1970 and 1975, per Osborne’s website. 

They took home the trophy for the category in 1971.

"Bobby Osborne was a bluegrass icon who helped put Kentucky's most famous music on the world stage. It was an honor to meet him and celebrate his talents, and I am thankful his work will allow us to remember him for generations. My thoughts and prayers are with his family," tweeted Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Wednesday morning. 

Country singer Dierks Bentley also paid tribute to the icon on Instagram. 

"I loved the Osborne Brothers. My friend Terry Eldredge turned me on to them when I was getting to know him and the guys that played in the Station Inn house band, The Sidemen. My first time backstage at the Opry was with Terry, who played guitar and sang low tenor with Bobby and Sonny. I'll never forget that performance," Bentley wrote. 

He continued: "So many great records but this is the one I listened to over and over again the most. Trying to learn the baritone part (still am) from Sonny and just mesmerized by power and high pitch of Bobby's voice. Not many people can cover Osborne Brother songs because you have to lower the key so much to sing it, and that just takes 'all the fire out of it,' as Sonny once said. He was right. Sad day for country music and bluegrass with both Sonny and now Bobby gone. RIP."

Sonny Osborne, who was six years Bobby’s junior, retired from music in 2005 before his death in 2021 following a series of strokes. 

Bobby Osborne remained a teacher at the Hazard Community and Technical College's Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in Leslie County, Tennessee, until his death on June 23.