Former Lyric Street Artist And Songwriter Joshua Ragsdale Passes Away At 32

Former Lyric Street/Nashville artist and songwriter Joshua Ragsdale passed away yesterday (7/1) in a Nashville area hospital following a battle with leukemia. Ragsdale, who was a staff writer for Sony/ATV, was only 32.

This year, Joshua’s song “Ain’t Much Left Of Lovin’ You” became Mercury/Nashville artist Randy Montana’s debut single (currently in the Top 50) and Country Music Hall Of Famer Bill Anderson released “Papaw’s Sunday Boots,” a song he co-wrote with Anderson this last summer. He had also written songs for other artists including Trick Pony.

Ragsdale’s manager Bob Titely said: “I’ve never seen anybody that remains so positive and so concerned about others through such personal adversity. With every bit of bad news, he’ll react with three minutes of crying and praying, and then it’s back to this positive energy.”

Ragsdale inspired hundreds of people to be tested as potential bone marrow donors during his illness, after having a potential donor back out with no other matches available. Ragsdale had said that he knew five people who had been called and told they were matches for someone on the registry because of his encouragement. Visit www.marrow.org to find out more about joining the bone marrow registry.

In his bio he stated: “I had my back broken by a horse, my neck broken by a Dodge. Been bitten by three snakes including a copperhead and cottonmouth. I've played polo with the Atlanta Polo Club, trained with a swat team, caddied for Davis Love III, sang on the Grand Ole' Opry, hugged Andy Griffith, worn a bite suit for police k-9 training, was baptized in the Mississippi River, kissed Wynonna Judd and helped Little Jimmy Dickens take down his Christmas lights.”