David Briggs, the iconic country music record producer, arranger, composer and studio owner, has died at the age of 82. A post in the Steve Hoffman Music Forums confirmed the news revealing he had died of a stroke. "(I) just got a call from legendary Nashville arranger Bergen White and he informed me that his good friend and piano genius David Briggs has passed away this morning of a stroke. He had been fighting cancer for a while," they wrote.

"I had the honor of meeting David Briggs and Bergen White in Nashville last November where I hosted a special dinner at Sinatra's restaurant in their honor. It was one of the best nights of my life. Bergen and David swapped stories all night about working with Elvis, Dolly, Dean Martin, Willie, and Garth Brooks, among so many others...he had over 10,000 music credits on his resume," they added.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young said: "David Briggs could play keyboards in any style. For more than four decades, his deft touch graced countless country, R&B, rock, and pop recordings. He was eighteen years old when he played piano on Arthur Alexander’s epochal Muscle Shoals hit ‘You Better Move On.

"Recruited by Nashville producer Owen Bradley, Briggs immediately became a studio fixture, enhancing records by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and many more,” Young added. “He further shaped Music City in co-founding Quadrafonic Studio and opening his own House of David studio. He was a man of music through and through.”

Over on Facebook fans shared their sorrow, "David was a hero to many of us. He will be greatly missed. Thankfully he left a treasure trove of musical memories," one wrote. "Long before Nashville David and the original Fame Gang opened for the first show The Beatles did stateside. One of the true pioneers of MuscleShoals music as well as Nashville," another added.

"Sad to hear about Nashville/Muscle Shoals producer & musician, David Briggs passing away. David toured with Elvis Presley & played on nearly all of Gary Stewart's albums.....among many, many others. I got to spend a little bit of time with him a few years ago, and he was a funny, funny man. RIP Mr. Briggs," a third chimed in. Meanwhile a fourth commented: "RIP David Briggs. One of a kind. A great musician and fascinating person."

Born in 1943 David reportedly took part in his first recording session at the age of 14 and was a recording artist on Decca, Polydor and Monument records in the mid to late 1960s and member of the band Area Code 615 from 1969 to 1971.

He went on to work with the likes of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Reba McEntire, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Harrison, Charley Pride and many more.

In May 1966, he was given the opportunity of recording on sessions for Elvis Presley's album How Great Thou Art when Floyd Cramer was running late. this led to a long working relationship between the pair and he continued to record and tour with until February 1977.

He was one of an elite core of Nashville studio musicians known as "the Nashville Cats" and featured in a major exhibition by the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015. In 1999 he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in and 10 years later in 2019 Musicians Hall of Fame bestowed the same honour.