A YouTube video posted in 2016 shows country star Joe Diffie on the Grand Ole Opry stage with a very special guest: his daughter Kara Diffie, who belts out gospel standard "Amazing Grace."
Kara is the daughter of Diffie and Janice Parker, his wife from 1982-1986. Kara and her brother Parker Diffie auditioned together in Nashville for the 2010 season of American Idol. Since then, she's shown her promise as a country singer through both her moment in the Opry circle and a recently shared cover of her dad's debut single from 1990, "Home."
Joe Diffie passed away on Sunday, March 29 from COVID-19 (coronavirus) complications. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-born country music legend played a role in the massive and sustained popularity of '90s' country with "Pickup Man," "Third Rock From the Sun," John Deere Green," "Bigger Than The Beatles," "If the Devil Danced (in Empty Pockets)" and other country hits. He also won a Grammy for his role in the star-studded 1998 recording of Marty Stuart's "Same Old Train." Beyond those accomplishments, Diffie wrote songs cut by Tim McGraw, Holly Dunn, Jo Dee Messina and other peers and had a clear impact on the careers of such 21st century stars as Jason Aldean and Chris Young.
Kara posted a tribute to her dad on Facebook on the day of his passing that doubled as a plea for fans to stay home when possible during the ongoing pandemic.
"I just want to say thank you for the outpouring of love, kind words and prayers from my friends, family and people whose lives have crossed with my own," she wrote on social media. "The loss of my dad is so sudden and tragic and my heart hurts. I have no words ... but thank you for your continued prayers and support for my family. He was my best friend and I have beautiful memories to cherish from here on out.
"I'll miss you every single day my sweet and funny daddy," she continued. "There's no one else in the whole world like you... Folks, please please take this virus seriously."
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Joe Diffie's 15-year-old daughter Kylie (her mother is Diffie's third wife Theresa Crump) has also spoken out since her father's passing.
"It was really heartbreaking," she told Nashville's WKRN. "I didn't have any contact with him. I couldn't speak to him. It was really sad. I just want people to realize how serious this pandemic is and people really need to take precautions and stay at home."
On a lighter note, Kyle also told WKRN that as a child, she would say "Prop Me Up Beside the Juice Box," not "Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (When I Die)."
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