Mel Tillis, country music star known as 'Stutterin' Boy,' dead at 85

• Respiratory failure was the suspected cause, but the singer had suffered from intestinal issues since early 2016. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, Tillis recorded more than 60 albums and penned a string of hits for stars such as Kenny Rogers, George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. Born Lonnie Melvin Tillis in Florida, he became one of the most sought-after Nashville songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s.