Elvis Songwriter Mac Davis Dies

Mac Davis, who wrote hits including "A Little Less Conversation" and "In the Ghetto" for Elvis Presley before forging a successful solo career, has died. Jim Morey, the 78-year-old's longtime manager, says Davis died Tuesday in Nashville after becoming critically ill following heart surgery. As a country singer in the '70s and '80s, Davis had a string of easygoing hits, including "Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me," which topped both the country and pop charts in 1972, the Los Angeles Times reports. Davis, who was born in Lubbock, Texas, also had his own NBC show, The Mac Davis Show, and made numerous film and TV appearances, reports the AP.

Country superstar Kenny Chesney was among many artists who paid tribute to Davis, Variety reports. He recalled how Davis and his "tremendous creative light" helped him when he was starting out. "A small town boy who'd achieved the greatest kinds of fame, he remained a good guy, a family man," Chesney said. "That was Mac: a giant heart, quick to laugh and a bigger creative spirit. I was blessed to have it shine on me." Davis also wrote hits for stars including Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, and, in later years, received co-writing credits on songs by Avicii and Bruno Mars. (More obituary stories.)