Apr 6, 2016

Merle Haggard, who rose from poverty and prison to international fame through his songs about outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died Wednesday at 79, on his birthday.

: FILE – Singer/songwriter Merle Haggard accepts the ACM Crystal Milestone Award onstage during the 49th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

: FILE – Musician Merle Haggard performs on stage at the 2015 Stagecoach California’s Country Music Festival> at The Empire Polo Club on April 24, 2015 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach)

: FILE – In this Oct. 8, 1977 file photo, Merle Haggard performs at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Haggard died of pneumonia, Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in Palo Cedro, Calif. He was 79. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

: FILE – In this Oct. 2, 2007 file photo, Merle Haggard poses at his ranch at Palo Cedro, Calif. Haggard died of pneumonia, Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in Palo Cedro, Calif. He was 79. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, FIle)

: FILE – In this June 28, 2015 file photo, singer-songwriter Merle Haggard performs at the 2015 Big Barrel Country Music Festival in Dover, Del. Haggard died of pneumonia, Wednesday, April 6, 2016, in Palo Cedro, Calif. He was 79. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

: Visitors pay their condolences at the plaque of Merle Haggard at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. Haggard, who rose from poverty and prison to international fame through his songs about outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died Wednesday at 79, on his birthday. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

: Fans walk past a quote by Merle Haggard engraved on the outside the Country Music Hall of Fame, Wednesday April 6, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn., after learning of his death. Haggard, who rose from poverty and prison to international fame through his songs about outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as “Okie From Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died Wednesday at 79, on his birthday. (Larry McCormack/The Tennessean via AP)

: THE JOHNNY CASH SHOW – Airdate: August 2, 1969. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images)

: CIRCA MID 1970s: (L-R) Country musician Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Glen Campbell perform on stage during a mid 1970’s performance for a TV show. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

: Merle Haggard in 2010 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. (Photo for The Washington Post by Dave Einsel)

Remembering Merle Haggard

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