Songwriting Legend, Writer of “The Gambler” Don Schlitz Has Died

Don Shlitz wrote “The Gambler.”

The iconic and ubiquitous mega hit for Kenny Rogers would become a cultural phenomenon, launch a movie franchise, and go on to be one of the most recognized country songs the world over. It won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 1978, and the CMA’s Song of the Year in 1979. When being notified by a reporter about “The Gambler” being nominated for CMA Song of the Year, the reporter told Schlitz, “This will be the first line of your obituary.”

Unfortunately, April 16th will be the dateline of that obituary as word has come down from Tennessee that towering country music songwriter Don Schlitz passed away at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness. He was 73 years old.

In so many other sectors of the music universe, songwriters are segregated to the shadows and fine print of the business. But in country music, songwriters are revered, celebrated, and respected. And when you have a songwriter that’s ascended to the level of Don Shlitz, they’re not considered secondary to anybody. They’re considered country music legends all to themselves, just as Don Schlitz was.

With an incredible catalog of hit songs, quality album cuts, and everything in-between that Don Schlitz amassed in his career, he wasn’t just inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017—an incredibly lofty and difficult achievement for any individual in country music, especially a songwriter—he was also named a primary member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2022.

They gave Don Schlitz all the accolades they could, because Don Schlitz gave us so many of the songs that contributed so much to our lives. Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” might have been where it started. But with songs like “Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis, to Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All,” Don Schlitz set the pace for penning some of the most memorable compositions in country music history, and created those timeless moments for the performers who took those songs and made them hits.

Along with “The Gambler,” Don Schlitz is perhaps best known for his towering hits for Randy Travis, including “Deeper Than The Holler,” “Heroes and Friends,” “On The Other Hand,” and the aforementioned “Forever and Ever, Amen.” These collaborations resulted in two more CMA Song of the Year wins for Schlitz. He also wrote signature songs for Alabama, Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Paul Overstreet, and scores more through his storied career.

In total, Don Schlitz was responsible for twenty-five #1 country songs, and 50 Top 10 singles over his five decade songwriting career.
He was also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame among other distinctions, winning two Grammy Awards for songs he wrote (“The Gambler” and “Forever and Ever, Amen”), as well as multiple CMA, ACM, and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards.

Born Donald Alan Schlitz Jr. in 1952 in Durham, North Carolina, Don Schlitz traveled to Nashville on a Trailways bus with $80 to his name at the age of 20 after briefly attending Duke University. Mentored by Bobby Bare and Bob McDill, at first Don Schlitz wanted to be a performer, recording his own version of “The Gambler” released in 1978. But when it stalled out at #65 on the charts and Kenny Rogers had such success with it, he saw his path forward as a dedicated songwriter.

There are songwriters in country music, and then there was Don Schlitz. Considered equal to the superstar performers he penned songs for, but unparalleled in the songwriting realm, his sudden death is a shock to the country music system, only subdued knowing that he knew how much he was valued, receiving his deserved flowers from the Country Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry while he was still around.

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