Blake Shelton distraught over the death of country star and close pal Earl Thomas Conley: 'My heart is absolutely destroyed today' By Kevin Kayhart For Dailymail.com Published: 23:25 BST, 10 April 2019 | Updated: 23:25 BST, 10 April 2019 Viewcomments Country singer Early Thomas Conley, who had a career that spanned five decades, has died. He was 77-years old. Conley's close pal and country music colleague, Blake Shelton, was one of the first people to share the sad news via social media. 'My heart is absolutely destroyed today,' an emotional Shelton began in a caption of a picture showing the two friends singing side-by-side. 'I'm sad to report that Earl Thomas Conley passed away very early this morning. Earl was my all time favorite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest.' RIP: Country star Earl Thomas Conley passed away on Wednesday at the age of 77; friend and fan, Blake Shelton, was among the first people to share the news of his death The Nashville, Tennessee native had been battling a condition similar to dementia and had been in in hospice care for several months,' his brother told the Tennessean. Conley was best known for hits like Holding Her And Loving You, Right From The Start and What I'd Say. In all, he had 18 number one country hits and 25 top 10 songs over his career that began back in 1974. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility