He was one of my favorites.
I am not a country wester fan.
But did enjoy and appreciate his singing.
Make the world go away,was one of my favorites.
A vintage icon for us.
Peace be with you Eddy.
Hits such as Make The World Go Away, I Want To Go With You, Turn The World Around, I Really Don't Want To Know and You Don't Know Me charmed a nation and moved country toward the popular mainstream.

"Eddy Arnold has become virtually an institution in American life, with an identity that is only peripherally related to country music," wrote Bill Malone in his definitive history, Country Music, USA. Malone went on to describe the "almost unparalleled impact that the Tennessee Plowboy has had on the country field."

Arnold was a multi-millionaire who cherished eating with pals at a simple meat-and-three along 8th Avenue South. He was a proud country boy who struggled to extend southern music's reach and scope into America's urban centers.

"Eddy Arnold gave dignity and respect to country music at a time when it was referred to as 'hillbilly music,' " said Cusic, a friend of Arnold's, this week. "He made you proud to be a country fan."

Richard Edward Arnold was born May 15, 1918, on a farm in Chester County, Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Jackson. His father died when he was 11, and within a year, the family fell into poverty.

Arnold began singing over the Jackson airwaves in his teens. In 1938, Arnold and performer Speedy McNatt moved to St. Louis and began performing on radio and in clubs.

Arnold's watershed moment came with the release of I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms). That song ascended to No. 1 in November 1947, stayed there for 21 weeks, crossed over into the pop charts, became the No. 1 country single of the 1940s.

In the 1950s, Arnold began to reach beyond country. He was on TV shows, including Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and The Perry Como Show. In the '80s and '90s, he remained a popular concert draw and continued to record. His 100th album, After All This Time, was released in 2005 on RCA.