After learning of the death of country icon Merle Haggard today, April 6, fellow artists have steadily offered their sympathies and unanimously expressed the immense influence the late singer-songwriter’s career has had on the face of music.

Haggard passed away today, his 79th birthday, from pneumonia after he was hospitalized at the end of last year and forced to cancel tour dates planned for this spring. Many artists have taken to social media to mourn the singer's passing. Haggard's son, Ben Haggard, called his father "the best country singer that ever lived" and said Haggard predicted just a week ago that he would pass on his birthday. Many more artists have paid tribute to Haggard online, including Willie Nelson, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. Read their sentiments and more below:

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