Gone but not forgotten. Country singer Daron Norwood was found dead in his Texas apartment on Wednesday, July 22, authorities tell Us Weekly. He was 49.
According to police spokesman Chief Brent Harrison of the Hereford Police Department, Norwood’s landlord found the singer’s body around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon; he was last seen out with friends on Tuesday evening.
“On July 22nd, 2015, at approximately 2 p.m., officers of the Hereford Police Department, along with medical personnel were sent to the 100 block of Hereford Calle in reference to an unresponsive subject,” Harrison told Us. “On arrival, Daron Norwood, age 49, was found in the bedroom of the apartment, deceased. No signs of foul play were observed and the incident remains under investigation.”
The country singer, who grew up the son of a Texas preacher, moved to Nashville in 1988 to pursue a career in music, but he struggled heavily with drugs and alcohol for several years. He opened up to Country Weekly in 2002 about hitting rock bottom before turning things around with the help of his wife, Kim.
“I didn’t quit on life,” he said at the time. “But I quit the bus, I quit the band, I quit the record deal, quit the shows, the alcohol, the drugs. I quit it all with a phone call to my then-manager saying, ‘I’m done. And I do mean done – with it all.’”
“I hung up the phone,” he continued. “And with that, I looked at my fiancee, Kim, and with tears streaming down my face, I said, ‘I feel so empty. I’ll probably never sing again.’ I felt as low as you could go. At that moment right there, she said, ‘You will.’”
Norwood released three albums over the course of his career: self-titled Daron Norwood in 1993; Ready, Willing and Able in 1995; and I Still Believe in 2012.
Two of his singles from his debut album, “Cowboys Don’t Cry” and “If It Wasn’t for Her, I Wouldn’t Have You,” reached the country top 40.
