Just days after Texas-based guitarist and songwriter Jon Dee Graham’s death, his family shared a statement in response to false rumors and speculation about how and why he died.
They also condemned the AI-generated false narratives that have been circulating about the musical legend, who died on Friday (March 27) at the age of 67.
How Did Jon Dee Graham Die?
“Given the fact that he is a public figure, we wanted to let people know that Jon Dee passed away due to a fall,” the statement reads. “His body was under a lot of strain from the surgeries.”
“From what we have been able to deduce he was letting the dog out and fell. He died instantly according to the Medical Examiner, who only had to do a CT scan on him,” the statement continues.
The family hopes to set the record straight, since they said they’ve seen a number of false reports online about the musician’s cause of death.
“There have been a bunch of AI videos speculating [about] Jon Dee’s death (INSANE that people are doing that for clicks),” they wrote.
What Else Did Jon Dee Graham’s Family Say About His Death?
News of Graham’s death came over the weekend from his family, who shared an emotional and raw statement about the tragedy.
“He was loved by so many people and touched so many people with his music, his kindness and his endless sense of humor,” that statement reads. “This morning he died after we waited outside for EMS to try to revive him, the cardinals, that he loved so much, suddenly came in droves and were chirping. Some say that means the angels are here.”
Graham’s family said that memorial and tribute information will be forthcoming, after they’ve had a little more space to process their grief.
“For now, please give our family time and space,” they wrote. “…Thank you for loving him.”
Who Was Jon Dee Graham?
Hailing from Austin, Texas, Jon Dee Graham became a member of rock group The Skunks in the late 1970s, where he opened for bands such as The Clash and the Ramones, according to KUT.
The following decade, he joined The True Believers, a group at the forefront of the alt-country cowpunk movement.
Graham performed with artists like John Hiatt, Patty Griffin and James McMurtry, and he also released 10 albums as a solo artist. He was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fames three times over — once with the Skunks, once with the True Believers and once as a solo artist — and was named Austin Musician of the Year during SXSW in 2006.
Graham suffered significant health challenges in his later years, and underwent four spinal surgeries in the year before his death.
Remembering the Country Stars Who Died in 2026
So far in 2026, country fans have mourned the deaths of a few of their favorite musicians and other large-looming figures of pop culture. Keep reading to remember the singers, musicians, actors and other notable figures we’ve lost so far this year.
The final quartet of teams are set in the 2026 men’s tournament, as we’re down to UConn Huskies, Illinois Fighting Illini, Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats. One of these teams will cut down the nets, but before we get there, they have to make it through the semifinals on Saturday night.
No. 3 Illinois opened up as a 2.5-point favorite over No. 2 UConn at 6:09 p.m., while No. 1 Michigan is a slight 1.5-point favorite over fellow No. 1 Arizona in the nightcap at 8:49 p.m.
Currently, Arizona and Michigan are tied atop the futures board to win the national championship.
Here is our college basketball analyst’s favorite bet for the semifinal round.
Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook. Odds accurate at time of publish and are subject to change.
Mark Zinno (analyst): These are the two best defenses in the country. They are also two of the top offenses in the country. But here’s why I’m willing to look to an under. I’m using the same logic I used for my Duke/UConn first half play. The only other reference point we have for Michigan against a defense this good was against Duke, in a game that ended 68-63, and the pregame total there was 151.5.
The only reference point we have for Arizona is two matchups against Houston. The regular-season matchup total was 142.5 and the Big 12 Championship final was 138.5. We are at 157.5 here for this game and it feels too high for me.
The first half between Michigan and Duke totaled just 68 points. The regular season matchup between Arizona and Houston featured just 67 points in the opening half. In the Big 12 final, they scored 80 in the first half, but both teams were playing their third game in three days and it’s natural to expect that defense would lag in that spot.
These teams will have six days of preparation for each other, which should keep the defenses sharper at the outset. Add in the fact that this game is at Lucas Oil Stadium and the sightlines will be different. There have been three other Final Fours in this venue. In 2021, both national semifinal totals were 145.5 and 134. In 2015, the semifinal totals were 131 and 140. Lastly in 2010, the totals were 136.5 and 128. Recognizing that the opponents were all different and the game itself is higher scoring now than even five years ago, some rise in the total is expected. I still think we have enough here to expect that defense will rule the day at the outset.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The United States supports efforts by Taiwan’s government to pass a $40 billion special defense budget that is being stalled in the opposition-controlled parliament, a group of visiting U.S. lawmakers said Monday in Taipei.
A bipartisan group of four senators arrived in Taiwan as part of an Asia trip meant to bolster U.S. alliances and counter China’s influence in the region, ahead of a summit planned in May between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) and Jacky Rosen (Nevada) and Republican Senators John Curtis (Utah) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) on Monday met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the start of a two-day trip focused on bolstering the two sides’ informal ties.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary and prohibits all its diplomatic partners, including the U.S., from maintaining formal ties with Taipei.
The U.S., while not recognizing Taiwan as a country, is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider.
Massive U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are expected to be discussed at the Xi-Trump summit, with China pushing against the sales.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday criticized the congressional visit, urging the U.S. to “handle the Taiwan question prudently and properly, stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan, and stop sending any wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
“China’s position on the Taiwan-related issue is consistent and clear,” spokesperson Mao Ning said. “China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
During the meeting with Lai, Curtis praised Taiwan’s progress “on strengthening its defense, whole society preparedness and energy security, especially over the last year.”
“The seriousness is noticed in Washington D.C., and your efforts on the special defense budget are also noticed and supported,” he said.
Taiwan’s government is trying to push forward a $40 billion special defense budget that over eight years would see investments in building a sophisticated missile defense system dubbed the “T-dome,” integrating artificial intelligence into national defense and developing Taiwan’s indigenous defense industry, among others.
The budget is currently being stalled in parliament, with opposition parties proposing smaller defense budgets.
Lai renewed calls for the parliament to pass the special defense budget “without delay.”
“I want to reassure you and all of our friends in the United States that my government’s resolve and commitment to enhancing our self-defense capabilities, strengthening Taiwan-U.S. cooperation and ensuring national security remain unwavering,” he told the visiting lawmakers.
The opposition leader, KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, said Monday she would be visiting China next month in an attempt to promote “peaceful” relations with Beijing. Cheng had previously expressed interest in meeting with Xi, though it wasn’t clear if a meeting with the Chinese leader was on her trip’s agenda.
Beijing refuses to speak to Lai and has labeled him a separatist who wants to turn Taiwan into a “powder keg.”
Air Canada announced Monday its CEO will retire later this year, after Michael Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following this month’s deadly crash in New York.Canada’s largest airline, based in French-speaking Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he will retire by the end of the third quarter.Canada is an officially bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney had said the English-only message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others called on the airline executive to resign.Antoine Forest, one of the two pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport, was a French-speaking Quebecer. Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when the Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway shortly after landing.Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal. Rousseau previously had been criticized for not speaking French. He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints about it.Quebec Premier François Legault noted that when Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French.Quebec’s identity has been contentious since the 1760s, when the British completed their takeover of what was then called New France. Quebec is about 80% French-speaking.
TORONTO —
Air Canada announced Monday its CEO will retire later this year, after Michael Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following this month’s deadly crash in New York.
Canada’s largest airline, based in French-speaking Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he will retire by the end of the third quarter.
Canada is an officially bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney had said the English-only message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others called on the airline executive to resign.
Antoine Forest, one of the two pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport, was a French-speaking Quebecer. Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when the Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway shortly after landing.
Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal. Rousseau previously had been criticized for not speaking French. He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints about it.
Quebec Premier François Legault noted that when Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to learn French.
Quebec’s identity has been contentious since the 1760s, when the British completed their takeover of what was then called New France. Quebec is about 80% French-speaking.
The men’s Final Four is set, and two spots remain in the women’s tournament. And then there were four. No. 1 Michigan, No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Illinois are headed to Indianapolis, where two games stand between them and a national championship in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Wolverines are ever-so-slight betting favorites to win the whole thing, but each team has a case to climb to the mountaintop. Here’s how to catch the action on Saturday. The women’s tournament, meanwhile, has a little more Elite Eight business to settle. The regional finals will wrap up tonight when two teams join top-seeded UConn and UCLA in clinching Final Four berths.
Tiger Woods was charged with DUI after a rollover car crash. Woods’ fourth known car accident since 2009 occurred Friday when he clipped a trailer and his vehicle rolled onto the driver’s side. There were no injuries. While a Breathalyzer test showed Woods did not have alcohol in his system, authorities said he showed “signs of impairment” and refused a urinalysis test. He was detained for eight hours.
The Sun will relocate to Houston. The WNBA is coming back to Houston. The Fertitta family reportedly agreed to purchase the Sun for $300 million and move them from Connecticut to Texas, pending league approval. If the deal goes through, the Sun will play in Connecticut this season before moving to the Toyota Center in Houston and reviving the “Comets” team name in 2027. This is the largest sale of a franchise in league history and comes after the WNBA pushed back on then-Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca purchasing and moving the team to Boston.
Bruce Cassidy is out as Golden Knights coach. With just eight games remaining in the regular season, Vegas announced a coaching change that it hopes will stop its slide. Stanley Cup champion John Tortorella will take over ahead of the playoffs and is tasked with reinvigorating a squad that is a measly 5-10-2 since the Olympic break and has fallen to third place in the NHL’s Pacific Division.
The United States Men’s National Team faced a reality check in their latest pre-World Cup friendly. The USMNT put on a concerning performance in their 5-2 loss to Belgium, surrendering five consecutive goals. The defeat emphasized a glaring lack of depth and suggested the Americans could be in for another rough showing Tuesday against Portugal. Plus, superstar Christian Pulisic is in the midst of a three-month goal drought. All of this comes just three months ahead of the World Cup and leaves players with just one final opportunity to show they belong on the squad.
⚖️ Do not miss this: NBA proposes anti-tanking measures
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Tanking has been the talk of the NBA since the All-Star break, leaving Adam Silver with no choice but to implement measures to curb what appear to be intentional losses. After more than a month of brainstorming, the league reportedly proposed three potential solutions at its board of governors meeting last week that would change the draft lottery.
Option A: 18-team lottery including seeds Nos. 7-15; flat odds for 10 worst teams; every pick drawn in lottery
Option B: 22-team lottery including first-round playoff losers; order determined by cumulative two-year record; 25-win floor; top four picks drawn in lottery
Option C: 18-team lottery including seeds Nos. 7-15; flat odds for five worst teams; drawing for top five picks; second drawing for next 13 picks
While the selected option should, on paper, curb the tanking crisis, it could also come with unintended consequences. Sam Quinn explained why each of them could backfire. In fact, he argued that tanking is simply an unfixable problem.
Quinn:“The trouble here is that there is no objective definition of tanking. You know it when you see it. So the NBA would either have to invent strict, measurable criteria for tanking, or it would have to ask its fans to trust it to enforce subjective rules consistently. I just don’t think either is possible.”
In addition to the three options, the league could also implement harsher penalties for offending tankers. Under the proposal, Silver would have the power to take away a team’s first-round pick, move that pick to the end of the lottery or first round and fine the team millions of dollars.
⛹️♂️ Men’s Sweet 16, Elite Eight recap
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Two more rounds of the Men’s NCAA Tournament are in the books. Let’s relive everything from the second batch of Sweet 16 games onward.
Friday (Sweet 16): Both No. 1 seeds, Duke and Michigan, took care of business to close the Sweet 16. UConn nearly squandered a 19-point lead but held on to defeat No. 3 Michigan State. No. 6 Tennessee cruised past a Joshua Jefferson-less No. 2 Iowa State.
Duke was perhaps the most impressive winner of the day because of its toughness. Caleb Foster somehow returned to action a mere three weeks after undergoing foot surgery.
On the losing side, Kelvin Sampson saw a perfect opportunity to return to the Final Four slip through his fingers. He said he still enjoys coaching, but at 70 years old, his long-term future at Houston gets murkier by the year. Meanwhile, Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino made it clear they intend to keep coaching at 71 and 73, respectively.
With one heroic shot, UConn freshman Braylon Mullins became a tournament icon and will (possibly) never need to buy another ice cream at Storrs’ Dairy Bar. His game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play in the team’s magical win is the shot of March and a moment that will live on in Huskies lore — especially if they go on to win another title. It also means Jon Scheyer has to stomach another stunning exit from the dance.
⛹️♀️ Women’s Sweet 16, Elite Eight recap
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Two spots in the Final Four are secured in the Women’s NCAA Tournament, and the other two will be claimed tonight. This is how we got here.
Friday (Sweet 16):UConn and UCLA continued their dominance while No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 3 Dukeboth pulled off upset wins over No. 2 seeds Vanderbilt and LSU, respectively.
Saturday (Sweet 16): It was a chalky day for the bracket as all four favorites (No. 1 Texas, No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU) won by double digits.
Sunday (Elite Eight): UConn and UCLA secured their spots in the Final Four and did so by double digits. It took a comeback from the Bruins, though, who trailed Duke by as many as 10 points.
It was a historic weekend in the NWSL. The San Diego Wave signed Catarina Macario on a five-year, $8 million contract that makes her the highest-paid player in the league. A day later, Denver Summit FC obliterated the previous NWSL attendance record when 63,004 fans showed up to their inaugural home game.
Odell Beckham Jr. seeks a return to the NFL after a year away from football. Here are five possible landing spots.
📺 What we’re watching Monday
⚽ Men’s friendly: Cyprus vs. Moldova, Noon on FS2 ⚽ Men’s friendly: Germany vs. Ghana, 2:45 p.m. on FS1 ⚾ Pirates at Reds, 6:40 p.m. on FS1 🏀 Women’s Elite Eight: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 76ers at Heat, 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network 🏒 Penguins at Islanders, 7 p.m. on NHL Network 🏀 Bulls at Spurs, 8 p.m. on Peacock 🏀 Women’s Elite Eight: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 9 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Pistons at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network ⚾ Giants at Padres, 9:40 p.m. on FS1
Monday’s Top Stories Monday’s Five Facts [1] Deputy killed in same spot he responded to drunk driver call the day before – BCSO has released video of the aftermath of a dangerous crash on a problematic stretch of I-40 in the east mountains. Last month, deputies say the victim was injured and the other driver […]
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