Jimmy Nichols, a country music session player and musical director who worked with Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, died on July 10, his wife said. He was 64.
The musician’s wife, Tonya Cochran Ginnetti, made the announcement on his official Facebook page, noting that he died in his sleep.
“He so loved making music with his Nashville family,” she wrote. “I don’t have any words right now.”
No cause of death was provided.
Nichols was raised in Columbus, Ohio, and learned to play piano on his father’s instrument when he was 9 years old, according to A Taste of Country.
According to the American Federation of Musicians, Nichols was born Jan. 15, 1962.
He and his brothers formed a group, The Nichols Brothers, in the early 1970s, Billboard reported. In an interview, Nichols said the group toured with Eddie Rabbitt, Willie Nelson and The Osmond Brothers.
The group eventually reached Nashville in the 1990s.
Nichols played keyboards on albums released by Daryle Singletary and Mindy McCready, according to Billboard. In 2001, he became the musical director and pianist for McEntire and toured with the country star for five years.
Nichols also played keyboards on Hill’s “Fireflies” album, then joined the singer and McGraw as their musical director on their Soul2Soul II world tour.
“Touring was always in my blood,” Nichols said in his interview. “I always consider myself an entertainer because of all those years I spent with the Brothers. When I get onstage, I hold nothing back. As a keyboard player, I try to be as entertaining and visual as I can.”
Nichols also worked with Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack and Gladys Knight, Billboard reported.
Nichols was inducted into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame on June 27.
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