Doc Watson

Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty

Doc Watson Dies at 89

Originally posted 05/29/2012 09:00PM

The Grammy-winning blind singer-songwriter Doc Watson has died. He was 89.

Watson had been hospitalized in Winston-Salem, N.C., for abdominal surgery, the Associated Press reports. He passed away Tuesday according to a hospital spokesperson and his management.

Born Arthel Lane Watson in North Carolina, Watson lost his eyesight as an infant due to an infection, but he went on to have a successful career as a bluegrass and folk musician, known for recordings including "Tom Dooley" and "Shady Grove."