CMA defends itself against Pride death following awards show appearance

Pride passed away on Saturday at 86. Several country artists including Maren Morris and Mickey Guyton wondered on Twitter whether his death was related to hs appearance at the largely maskless event last month.

"After returning to Texas following the CMA Awards, Charley again tested negative multiple times," the CMA said in a statement. "All of us in the country music community are heartbroken by Charley's passing. Out of respect for his family during their grieving period, we will not be commenting on this further."

Guyton tweeted, "We need answers as to how Charley Pride got covid."

"We must protect the elderly as much as we can from Covid. Please please please look after each other." In a subsequent tweet, she said she was not referring to th CMA.

"There's a lot we don't know but regardless, any future award show should be extra mindful of the elderly. That's the lesson here today. Covid is real. It's never a big deal until it's someone we care about. We have to care about everyone equally. Especially the elderly."