Roy's impeccable touch on the standup bass put him in constant demand for all kinds of acoustic music, ranging from bluegrass to the "unplugged" work of Steve Earle. He was also a member of Emmylou Harris' hot acoustic band, the Nash Ramblers.

The impact of Roy's death on the acoustic music community will be deeply felt. "In as much as the bass is the heartbeat of country music, and in as much as he was country music's most important bass player, I would say country music has just had a major heart attack," said Roy's friend John Hartford.

Country star Marty Stuart told The Tennessean newspaper, "Roy Huskey was a pure original state of the art, bona fide, textbook example of a bass-playing genius, truly irreplaceable."

"I feel like I've just lost a part of my family," said Emmylou Harris.

Roy carried on what has almost become a lost art in country music. It was a tradition passed along by his father, Junior Huskey, who played on numerous Nashville sessions. Roy's dad played on the seminal album Will the Circle Be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in the early '70s, which opened up a wide new audience for legendary country performers, and Roy played on the Circle II sequel 20 years later.

Roy stopped by Gibson headquarters about a year ago to pick up one of the new Dobro basses. He broke his usual taciturn expression to say, "This'll be a lot of fun on the bus."

Funeral services for Roy Huskey Jr. will be held tomorrow at Phillips Robinson Funeral Home, 2707 Gallatin Rd. in Nashville. For information on the services, please call the funeral home at 615-262-3312.

A fund has been set up to defray Roy's enormous medical bills. Donations should go to the Roy Huskey Jr. Trust Fund, at NationsBank, One NationsBank Plaza, Nashville, TN 37239.