Glen Campbell, the upbeat guitarist from Delight, Arkansas, whose smooth vocals and down-home manner made him a mainstay of music and television for decades, has died after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's disease, his family announced on Tuesday, August 8. The six-time Grammy Award winner was 81.
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Campbell began playing music in bars when he was 15 or 16. He started his recording career as a Los Angeles studio musician, lending his talents to many hits as part of the renowned "Wrecking Crew" of musicians.
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Campbell rehearses with The Wellingtons and dancers from the TV show "Shindig!" in 1965.
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In the early 1960s, Campbell signed with Capitol Records. Here, he is seen at a recording session with producer Al DeLory, who helped Campbell achieve a number of hit singles and albums including "Gentle on My Mind" and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix."
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Campbell became a regular on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" with Tom, left, and Dick Smothers. In 1968, Campbell became a co-host of the summer replacement series, "The Summer Brothers Smothers Show," on CBS.
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Campbell cuddles with his daughter Kelli and his son Travis in 1968. Campbell was married four times and had eight children.
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Campbell, Bobbie Gentry and Lalo Schifrin hold the statuettes they won at the 1968 Grammy Awards. Campbell won four Grammys that year.
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Campbell's appearances on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" led to his own own variety series, "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour." Here, Campbell performs with Stevie Wonder on the show.
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In 1969, Campbell co-starred in the Western "True Grit" with John Wayne. Wayne, left, won an Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn.
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Cher performs with Campbell on "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour," which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1972. "Gentle on My Mind" was the theme song of the show.
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Campbell and his second wife, Billie Jean Nunley, visit the village-borough of Glen Campbell, Pennsylvania, in 1971.
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Campbell's iconic album "Rhinestone Cowboy" was released in 1975.
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Campbell and his third wife, Sarah Davis, in 1977.
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Campbell was engaged in the early 1980s to fellow country singer Tanya Tucker. They never married.
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During the 2012 Grammy Awards, Campbell was presented with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. He performed with the Band Perry and Blake Shelton as they paid tribute to his exceptional career. The year prior, in 2011, Campbell revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and would be embarking on a farewell tour.
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Campbell and his fourth wife, Kim Woollen, attend the Grammy Awards in 2012.
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Campbell hugs his daughter Ashley, left, as they attend a 2012 news conference with US Sen. Edward Markey, co-chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease. The Campbell family has advocated for awareness and research on the disease.