91-Year-Old Willie Nelson Shares The Pain Of Outliving His Friends & Family
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Willie Nelson Is Releasing A New Album, Last Leaf On The Tree, On November 1
At age 91, Willie Nelson has ended up outliving some of his closest friends and family members. The feelings associated with being the “last man standing” run through his upcoming album, Last Leaf on the Tree.
Last Leaf on the Tree, produced by Willie’s youngest son, Micah, is due for release on November 1. The younger Nelson told Rolling Stone that the idea of mortality is prevalent throughout the album’s tracks.
“There are little side-quests, but that became the through-line — facing death with grace,” Micah said.
The album’s title was inspired by Tom Waits’s song “Last Leaf.” Willie covered the track for his album and released his recording as a sample of what to expect from Last Leaf on the Tree.
Willie Nelson Opens Up About Outliving His Beloved Friends And Family Members
Willie spoke with NBC News ahead of the release of his new album. The interview took an emotional turn as Willie shared his feelings about outliving some of his friends and family members.
The country music icon has lost a son, a daughter, a sister, and many of his friends. Just in the past few years, he’s lost his dear friends Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Toby Keith, and Paul English.
He’s also the last surviving member of the country music supergroup The Highwaymen. Waylon Jennings died in 2002, and Johnny Cash died the following year.
Kris Kristofferson passed away on September 28, 2024. He and Willie were extremely close, and his loss surely weighs heavy on Willie’s mind, especially as he promotes Last Leaf on the Tree.
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Opening up about the pain of outliving his loved ones, Willie said, “I’ve lost a lot of good friends.” He paused momentarily, laughed a little, and said, “And for some reason, I’m still here.”
He continued, “We all have to go through it in various ways. And each time it is just as bad as the last time.”
Willie channels his feelings of grief and reflection into the songs featured in Last Leaf on the Tree. You can hear another one of the tracks, his cover of The Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” in the clip below.
