Kinky Friedman, the iconic Texas singer-songwriter who reinvented himself as a mystery novelist in the 1980s, died Thursday at 79, the Associated Press reports.
Friedman was born in Chicago as Richard Friedman, raised in Central Texas, and educated at the University of Texas at Austin. He started playing music as a college student, and in the early 1970s, founded the band the Texas Jewboys. He was known for his satirical, sometimes gleefully offensive country songs, including “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore,” “The Ballad of Charles Whitman,” and “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You.”
He made his literary debut in 1986 with the mystery novel Greenwich Killing Time, which features a country-singing detective also named Kinky Friedman. More than a dozen books in the series would follow, including Elvis, Jesus, and Coca-Cola; God Bless John Wayne; The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover; and Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch. He also wrote several nonfiction books, including Kinky Friedman's Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How To Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth and Texas Hold 'Em: How I Was Born in a Manger, Died in the Saddle, and Came Back as a Horny Toad.
In 2006, he ran for governor of Texas as an independent under the slogan “Why the Hell Not?” He came in fourth in the six-person race, behind Republican Rick Perry, who won the election, and two others.
Friedman was remembered on social media. Author Larry “Ratso” Sloman wrote on the platform X, “I lost my best friend and the world lost a giant today. Kinky Friedman was the sweetest, most generous, and compassionate person I'd ever met. May his memory be a blessing.”
And former President Bill Clinton posted, “As soon as I picked up the hilarious Greenwich Killing Time in 1986, I was hooked on the wit and wisdom of Kinky Friedman. I was lucky as Arkansas governor to catch him in person at Juanita’s Mexican restaurant and café, and later invited him to the White House. He was truly one of a kind, and his provocative yet deeply honest voice will be sorely missed.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
