Acclaimed Louisiana’s LeRoux Founder & Guitarist Tony Haselden Dead at Age 79

(KMDL-FM) - The music world in Louisiana is a little dimmer today as Tony Haselden, guitarist and one of the founding members of Louisiana's LeRoux, passed away on Friday, May 16, at the age of 79.

About Steven Haselden

Born Anthony Steven Haselden, he was a native of South Carolina but moved to Louisiana in the 1970s, lived in Nashville for a while, and was a current longtime resident of Thibodaux.

Haselden was part of the conception of LeRoux when the group formed back in 1978. And while the band had many different members over the years, he was always a constant.

Steven Haselden Was a Prolific Songwriter and Producer

Haselden wrote some of LeRoux's all-time biggest songs, including the highest charted single, "Nobody Said It Was Easy." (That song peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Charts.)

When the band went on hiatus in the mid-1980s, he relocated to Nashville and became a top songwriter and producer in Country music.

READ MORE: Fans Pick the Best (And Worst) of Morgan Wallen's New 'I'm the Problem' Album

Haselden wrote many No. 1 Country hits, including "That's My Story (And I'm Sticking' To It)" by Collin Raye, "It Ain't Nothin'" by Keith Whitley, and "You Know Me Better Than That" by George Strait.

He also wrote Shania Twain's first single, "What Made You Say That," back in 1993, and the Shenandoah hit "Mama Knows."

Additionally, Haselden produced acts like The Kinleys and The Wilkinsons.

Steven Haselden Was a Member of Multiple Hall of Fames

On January 29, 2010, Haselden was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and the LMHOF Songwriters' Association Hall of Fame.

We'll pass along funeral and/or memorial arrangements once that information is released

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tony's entire family, including his wife Julia. He was truly one of a kind.