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Glen Campbell dies at 81: See celebrities pay tribute to the country music legend

The "Rhinestone Cowboy" singer died Tuesday following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
/ Source: TODAY

Glen Campbell, the country music legend who scored crossover pop hits with songs like "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Wichita Lineman," has died at age 81.

The musician, a staple on radio stations during the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather," Campbell's family said in a statement posted on his official website.

Campbell scored 21 Top 40 hits over a career that spanned six decades, and sold more than 45 million records, even outselling the Beatles in 1968.

Glen Campbell
NBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

In 2011, at age 75, Campbell, who was hailed for his guitar virtuosity and his tender croon, revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Months later, he released "Ghost," a final album of original music, and embarked on a farewell tour, which was chronicled in the award-winning 2014 documentary "I'll Be Me."

Earlier this year, Campbell, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005, released a final studio album of cover songs called "Adiós."

Glen Campbell In Concert
Campbell performing in 2012.Lisa Lake / Getty Images

On Tuesday, Campbell's fellow musicians and celebrity fans took to social media to share condolences and memories of the music legend.