Legendary artists succumb to virus

Ron Hartman

You know the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting close to home when it starts claiming our stage heroes.

Country artist Joe Diffie, who announced on Friday that he was being treated for coronavirus symptoms, died Sunday. He was 61. 

Diffie had five No. 1 hit singles during the 90s, including “Pickup Man” and “John Deere Green.”

In 1993 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and in ’98 he won a Grammy for…