"Country music legend <a href=""http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/19/entertainment/mel-tillis-country-music-dies/index.html"" target=""_blank"">Mel Tillis</a> died early on November 19, according to a statement from his publicist. He was 85. Tillis was a prolific singer-songwriter who penned more than 1,000 songs and recorded more than 60 albums in a career that spanned six decades."