Every day, thousands of people seem to be Googling whether or not Texas legend Willie Nelson is doing okay.
Recent trending searches include: “is willie nelson okay,” “is willie nelson on hospice,” “willie nelson current health” and “is willie nelson sick.”
Which is understandable; the guy is 92 years old and used to smoke cedar. And in this age of AI and actual fake news, I can’t log on to Facebook without some sketchy-looking “news page” telling me that Nelson is knocking at death’s door and we better start saying our goodbyes.
Rest assured: When Willie Nelson dies, we will let you know.
Chron’s obituary for Willie Nelson is in the can and has been for a while. It will be the leading story on our homepage. When Willie Nelson is finally ready to be rolled up and smoked, Chron’s staff will put out the news, along with probably every other news outlet in America. We will likely write several stories about it. For probably at least a week, you will not be able to visit Chron.com without knowing that Nelson kicked the bucket.
Fret not, though. We have some time. Nelson seems to be in great health at the moment. Just last year, he said he was in “pretty good shape” and had no reason to worry about dying. He’s performing, promoting his THC-infused alcohol alternative, and talking to CNN about smoking weed on the White House roof in the Jimmy Carter era. Hell, he’s putting out his 155th album in November. He’s fine! Don’t bury the guy before his time.
We here at Chron and in broader journalism hope this is reassuring. A beloved Texas legend will not die unnoticed in this newsroom. But until he does, don’t let Facebook fool you. Enjoy the time we have with Nelson.
But when he does die, Nelson hopes his legacy will be this:
“I had a good time,” Nelson told the Associated Press last November. “And I did what I came here to do: make music.”
