Kinky Friedman, Texas singer, satirist and former political candidate, dies at age 79

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Texas icon Kinky Friedman, singer, songwriter, satirist, crime writer and former political candidate, has died at the age of 79.

His official X-Account confirmed his death on June 27, 2024: “Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family and friends. Kinkster suffered tremendous pain and unimaginable loss over the past few years, but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit. Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.” His death was also confirmed by his friend Kent Perkins on Facebook.

Friedman was born Richard Samet Friedman in Chicago and moved to Texas with his family at a young age. He first came to public attention in the early 1970s with his band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys. The band’s lyrics mixed country sounds with socially critical and often satirical comments, such as “They Ain’t Makin Jews Like Jesus Anymore”. The band’s second album Kinky Friedman made it into the Billboard charts in 1975.

Friedman later devoted himself to writing crime novels, in which he often featured a fictionalized version of himself as the protagonist. His first crime novel, Greenwich: Killing timewas published in 1986. He went on to write dozens of books, eventually moving on to other genres and non-fiction in the early 2000s.

Friedman was also a prominent candidate in the 2006 Texas gubernatorial election, when he ran as an independent against incumbent Rick Perry. He often campaigned in his trademark outfit of a cowboy hat and a cigar in hand. He eventually finished fourth in the race, receiving more than 500,000 votes.

Four years later, Friedman ran for state office again, but lost the Democratic primary for Secretary of Agriculture. His political career was known for his then-outrageous stances in favor of legalizing marijuana and casino gambling.