Another of my favorite singers, both eccentric and inspirational, dies at 83
Mr. Hurley in performance in 1994. He recorded about 30 albums but remained somewhat under the radar for his entire career.
‘Michael Hurley, a singer and songwriter whose music — an idiosyncratic kind of folk mixed with a variety of other styles — made him a revered elder to younger artists like Cat Power, Devendra Banhart and the band Yo La Tengo, died on April 1 in Portland, Ore. He was 83. Mr. Hurley’s family announced the death but did not specify the cause.
Mr. Hurley was visibly ill during his final shows — two on March 28 and 29 in Knoxville, Tenn., as part of the Big Ears Festival, and the third on March 31 in Asheville, N.C. — before flying back to Portland, said Regina Greene, the booking agent for his Southeast shows. Mr. Hurley stopped breathing on the ride to his home in rural Brownsmead, Ore.,…’
