His death was confirmed on Friday evening (September 22) through an emotional post shared to The SteelDrivers’ official Facebook page.
“I remember the call from Mike Henderson when he just casually asked if I wanted to get together at his place on a Sunday night around 8:00 and play a little bluegrass,” the post reads. “Unbeknownst to me at the time, he had been writing for several years with a young man named Chris Stapleton and had the idea for a group that would maybe play once a month down at the Station Inn. When I arrived that Sunday evening, I met Chris, Mike Fleming, and I had known Richard Bailey since I was a teenager. What started as a casual jam changed the course of my life. “I can’t begin to explain and share all the craziness and great times we all had together, but I will say, as I always have, it was all Hendo’s fault! So all The SteelDrivers, past and present, are in shock today as we have lost our original architect…we send our heartfelt condolences to Janet, Lauren, and Shannon. Hendo, we will see you again where rainbows never die.”