Faron Young; Country Singer, Film Actor

Faron Young, country singer and film actor whose string of hits included the classic Willie Nelson song “Hello Walls,” died Tuesday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 64.

Young was taken to Columbia Summit Medical Center on Monday after a friend found him wounded at his home. A suicide note was discovered near him detailing Young’s plans to kill himself, police said.

Young, whose hits also included “Sweet Dreams,” “It’s Four in the Morning” and “Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young,” had been depressed recently about health problems, friends said. He had emphysema and recently underwent prostate surgery.

He also had a history of alcohol-abuse problems. Asked a decade ago if he had any clues to longevity, he quipped: “My secret? Drink expensive whiskey.”

His nickname, “the Singing Sheriff,” came from a role he played in “Hidden Guns.” Among his other films were “Raiders of Old California” and “Daniel Boone.”

Nelson’s “Hello Walls” was a No. 1 country hit in 1961 and also made it into the top 20 on the pop charts.

Among Young’s other hits, some of which he wrote: “Country Girl,” “I Miss You Already,” “Your Old Used to Be,” “Backtrack” and “Wine Me Up.” He also had hits in duets with Margie Singleton, such as “Keeping Up With the Joneses.”

In addition to having a series of hits on the country charts from the 1950s onward, Young was a successful businessman. He founded and later sold the country music fan magazine “Music City News.”

His first hit was “Goin’ Steady” in 1953, which went to No. 2 on the country charts. In 1974, Young recorded his last major country hit, “Some Kind of Woman.”

In his native Shreveport, La., Young got his start on KWKH Radio’s “Louisiana Hayride.”

The singer was known for aiding the careers of other artists and songwriters, including Nelson, Don Gibson, Bill Anderson, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller and Johnny Paycheck.

Young, who divorced about 15 years ago, is survived by four children.