Country music’s ‘Man of Steel’ dead at 63: ‘A once in a lifetime talent’

Country music’s “Man of Steel,” Robby Turner, has died.

He was 63.

Turner died on Sept. 4.

“We’re sad, but we know he’s walking without any help, and he’s no longer in pain,” his brother, Bobby Turner, wrote on Facebook. “Thank you everyone for reaching out to me and visiting him.

“He loved you all.”

Turner might not be a name that is known by everyone in the mainstream, but he had an iconic career, nonetheless. He was remembered for his time playing the steel guitar for the legendary Waylon Jennings. Taste of Country said that Turner played on nine of Waylon’s albums from the mid-1970s through the early 2010s.

The outlet said that Turner’s resume also included working with the likes of Vince Gill, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Prine, Tanya Tucker, Randy Travis and Loretta Lyn to name a few.

For fans of more modern country, some of Turner’s last work, per Taste of Country, came on Chris Stapleton’s 2017 “From a Room: Volume 1.”

Turner and Waylon were particularly close, and he talked about that in a 2012 interview with Texas Monthly. Turner told the outlet that he “never wanted to play again,” after the legendary signer’s death.

“I stayed in bed a week,” he said. “I canceled everything.

“What I had to come around to, as a believer, is that Waylon’s in my future, not my past,” he said. “I look forward to seeing him again as much as anything in my life. He’s in my future, not my past.”

Jennings’ son was among those who took to social media to remember Turner following his death.

“So sad to hear about Robby Turner,” Shooter Jennings wrote on X. “A once in a lifetime talent and the funniest guy I ever met.

“What a player.”