Paul English, Longtime Drummer for Willie Nelson, Dead at 87
Paul English, Willie Nelson’s drummer for more than a half-century, has died.
English was 87 and died in a hospital near Dallas after battling pneumonia, Austin360 reported.
“Sad news today, wonderful memories forever,” read a post on the Willie’s Reserve Twitter feed.
English first played with Nelson in 1955 and joined his band full-time in 1966. Their friendship was immortalized in the song “Me and Paul,” which Nelson continues to perform.
“He has always been my friend, my best friend,” Nelson said on the occasion of English’s birthday in 2014.
“There is no other drummer who can beat Paul English playing behind me, and I watched him become the great drummer that he is today,” Nelson wrote on Facebook at the time.
Nelson is scheduled to perform tonight in Florida.