The 64-year-old Alan Jackson has delighted millions of admirers for four decades with his beautiful fusion of traditional country music and honky tonk.
He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, has sold more than 80 million recordings, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
But Alan has also been through some terrible tragedies lately, and he announced last year that he had been given a degenerative nerve disorder diagnosis.
Ben Selecman was killed in a boating accident in 2018, and the Country Music Hall of Famer and his family are still grieving for him.
In a tragic turn of events the 28-year-old, who was married to Mattie Jackson Selecman, lost his life while trying to help a woman onto a boat.
The Tennessean reported that Ben collapsed and banged his head while assisting a woman into a boat. Unfortunately, Ben passed away from “severe traumatic head injuries” despite being taken to the hospital right away.
Employees at Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, where Ben served as Assistant District Attorney, told The Tennessean that he will be deeply missed for his sense of humor and unwavering drive.
“He was really a rising star and I’m sick that we lost him, but I’m grateful for every day that he worked for us because he was great,” their statement added.
Alan Jackson recently revealed that this familial tragedy played a significant role in the inspiration for his albums Angels & Alcohol from 2015 and Where Have You Gone from early this year.
Nothing compares to a family occasion.