'Chattahoochee' songwriter Jim McBride dies unexpectedly at 78

Jim McBride, country music legend, passed away "unexpectedly" at the age of 78.

The "great songwriter", famous for his songs Chattahoochee and Chasin' that Neon Rainbow he wrote for Alan Jackson died on January 6 after a reported fall, as per Daily Mail.

The news of the late "big hit" artist's demise was first broken by singer-songwriter Jerry Salley in a Facebook post.

The songs written by McBride were sung by country stars like Reba McEntire, Johnny Cash, George Jones and many more.

McBride served at Nashville Songwriters Association International as a president, was formally admitted into Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.

In his social media post, Salley called the late star a "lifelong brother" and a "close" pal.

He went on to share, "We met at my very first publishing company back in the early 1980s. He was already a big hit songwriter, having had hits with Conway Twitty, Johnny Lee and others."

"I'll never know why he took a chance to write with me, but man, we hit it off, became instant friends, and loved being in the writing room together. He always brought out the very best in me," Salley continued to pay the tribute.

Concluding his post with a heartfelt final goodbye, he added, "You were a great songwriter. You were a great man. And, you were an even greater friend. What hurts the most is that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. My best friend. We talked or texted every few days right up until the end."