Texas Tribune: Kinky Friedman, provocative satirist, dies at 79
One-time Texas gubernatorial candidate, frequent skewerer of sacred cows developed an ardent following of alt-country fans
By Emily Foxhall and Joshua Fecter | The Texas Tribune
June 27 — Richard “Kinky” Friedman — the provocative and flamboyant Texas satirist who mounted a spirited campaign for governor in 2006 and was known for his boundary-pushing music and deep love for animals — died this week. He was 79.
Friedman died at his longtime family home at Echo Hill Ranch in Medina, his friends Cleve Hattersley and Kent Perkins said. Friedman had Parkinson’s disease, Hattersley said in an interview.
“He was a communicator. An unusual, but very pointed and poignant communicator,” Hattersley said. “He could bring you to tears on stage. He could make you roll on the floor in laughter.”
The iconoclastic Friedman ran for governor as an independent against Republican incumbent Rick Perry in 2006. Despite a colorful campaign, Friedman finished fourth in the race.
“Kinky Friedman was a larger than life Texas icon and will be remembered as one of the most interesting personalities in Texas politics,” Perry said in a statement to The Texas Tribune on Thursday. “Kinky’s run for governor in 2006 made an otherwise grueling campaign cycle actually fun. May he rest easy after a life lived to the fullest.” …
