Chronicle: Country Music Hall of Famer Don Williams has passed after a short illness. He was 78. A Texas native, Williams spent seven years in folk group The Pozo Seco Singers before launching a solo career in 1971. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Arrangements are pending.

Montgomery Gentry's Troy Gentry died in a helicopter crash this afternoon in New Jersey. He was 50. The duo were scheduled to perform this evening in Medford, NJ. The show has been cancelled. Arrangements as they become available.