Alabama founding member and influential guitarist Jeff Cook dead at 73

Jeff Cook, the legendary country guitarist known for being a founding member of hitmaking group Alabama, has died.

According to a statement from his publicist, Cook died on Tuesday, November 7, at his beach home in Destin, Florida. He was 73 years old and had been living with Parkinson’s disease for a decade, a diagnosis that caused him to retire from touring in 2018.

Together with his Alabama bandmates Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, Cook played on some of the group’s biggest and most enduring hit songs, such as “Dixieland Delight,” “Tennessee River,” “Love in the First Degree” and “Mountain Music.”

Cook is survived by several family members, including his wife of 27 years, Lisa. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that anyone wishing to commemorate Cook’s life do so with a donation to The Jeff and Lisa Cook Foundation, which works to house orphaned children worldwide.

Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date.