“I am very sad to hear the news of the passing of Joe Diffie. His traditional sounding voice had a soothing timber and I enjoyed hearing him sing. He recorded songs that touched everyday folks and for me it was his recording of “Ships That Don’t Come In” that changed my life. The song and his delivery were the inspiration that led me to come to Nashville to work at taking my music to a larger audience. I will be forever grateful to Joe for following his dreams of being a singer and for recording a song that fueled my dreams. I will miss you Joe.” –John Berry
I am in shock and so sad over the passing of my long time friend, Joe Diffie. Joe and I go way back to when we both started out in this business. He IS without a doubt one of the finest country singers that has ever sung into a microphone. His pronunciation and country vibes were amazing, but he backed that up with a voice that could belt out a song like a tenor doing a duet with Pavarotti, that’s what made him truly one of the best singers I’ve ever heard. Joe was so fun and a blast to hang with at all times and he made me laugh. I will miss my friend and salute him by cranking “Ships That Don’t Come In” till I go to sleep tonight. Rest in Heaven brother and sing one when you’re ready, they’re gonna love you! –Tim Rushlow
Extremely hard to lose two Opry family members within two days, Jan Howard, and now Joe Diffie. Joe brought a special energy with his music, not only to radio but to the Grand Ole Opry. He’s always had a distinctive country sound, but updated to fit his generation. His personality matched his music – warm, friendly, energetic and fun. It just always felt good to see him. Everything about Joe Diffie will be missed and my heart goes out to his family, our Opry family and his many fans around the world. –Jeannie Seely
There are voices that come along and catch our attention…and then there are VOICES that come along and capture our hearts forever more. We lost one of the greatest Country voices of ALL time today!! Joe Diffie was special in every way! His vocal range was absolutely massive…. like those lungs were unreal. His tone was as rich as the OK dirt he was raised in. His heart was as warm as the comfy front lounge of his bus where he’d proudly serve up his homemade craft brews and shared stories of life, love, and the road. Joe was real, and that resonated with all of us from his peers, to family, to friends, to his millions of fans alike. Joe made me want to be a better singer without a doubt. I’d sit on the side of the stage and wait for Ships That Don’t Come In or White Lightenin’. Anything that came out of his mouth was stylistic AND mechanically perfect. You usually don’t get to have both qualities, but Joe did. I’m humbled and honored to have called him my buddy and my heart breaks for his wife Tara, his beautiful kids, and big extended family as well. “One take Joe” came on in here and made us all feel special for awhile…now, he’s leading the choir of heavenly honky tonk angels! He made one hell of a mark…. –Heidi Newfield
“I had the great honor of writing and producing a track for Joe Diffie, a song Milton Brown and I wrote for a movie entitled Mi Amigo. Joe had the purest and beautiful voice. So thankful I had the chance to work with him.”
–Steve Dorff
“Shocked and heartbroken to hear of old friend Joe Diffie’s death from COVID-19. Prayers for his family.”
–Exile (Sonny LeMaire, JP Pennington, Marlon Hargis, Les Taylor and Steve Goetzman)
“Joe was a good one. We played a lot of the same radio shows together and charity golf tournaments back in the day. I just saw him on the Country Music Cruise last year and enjoyed our time together. Hard to put loss like this into words. Godspeed Joe!” –David Ball
“Joe Diffie was one of my first concerts in high school. I drove 45 min to see him play in Parsons, Kansas. “It’s Always Something” and “So Help Me Girl” were my favorite songs at the time. In “It’s Always Something”, he says “lunchtime, a new place, waitress says her name. Why does it have to be? Emily!” I had a huge crush on a girl named Emily at the time so the song was very fitting and I would cruise what we called the oval in my small town, blasting Joe Diffie. Thank you for your music Joe, Country Music won’t be the same.” –Kyndon Oakes, Lockelend
“Prop Me Up Beside The JukeBox” & “Pick Up Man”, we’re two of the biggest songs I remember from my childhood. I hear those tunes and it takes me right back to my hometown. Thanks for the music Joe.”
–Mark Vikingstad, Lockeland
“Thank you Joe for the beautiful legacy of stories, laughs, tears and memories. Your music was real, and so are all the lives you have touched over the years. Deepest thoughts, prayers and condolences to Joe’s family, friends and bandmates.” –Michael Boris, Lockeland
“Our hearts are heavy today as we say goodbye to a musical legend and friend, Joe Diffie. We had the privilege of getting to know Joe over the last couple years and got to jam on some tunes with him on the 2019 Country Music Cruise. He always had a smile and a song ready to belt out and man could he bring it! Thank you for touching the hearts and lives of everyone around the world with your love and music, Joe. Country Music certainly lost a treasure.” –Darin and Brooke Aldridge
“I am so saddened to be reading the news of my friend Joe Diffie’s death. His family is in my prayers. I can’t imagine the sadness and shock they must feel. I told someone a little while ago that this loss is a kick in the gut! The virus may seem like a mystery and even far away to most of us, BUT to Joe’s family it is a very real thief that has stolen their husband and father and brother or sister. This brings it too close to our circle.” –Linda Davis
“Joe Diffie’s music IS 90’s Country. His presence in the music business was iconic, his voice and look were instantly recognizable, and his songs were the soundtrack of so many lives… especially ours.”
–Joe and Martina
A couple years ago some friends and I went on a writing retreat and one night at dinner we were talking about songs we wish we had written. Without hesitation, I yelled out “John Deere Green”. Yes, it’s one of my favorites for the songwriting but also for the voice that sang it. It would’ve been a dream come true to have that voice on one of my songs. Joe Diffie was born to sing country music and, in my opinion, will continue to be one of the greatest country vocalists of all time. The world lost an amazing person and artist today.. This song was so hard for me to get through, but I wanted to sing it in memory of him. Thank you for the songs and for sharing your voice with us, Joe Diffie, fly high –Dallas Remington