The 1970s hitmaker passed away at his home in Oregon on Monday night (02Nov15).

The cousin of beloved entertainer Gene Austin, Overstreet was born in Oklahoma in 1937 and first found fame as a performer on Slim Willet's TV series when he was 17.

He moved into management and headed to Nashville, Tennessee in the late 1960s but his own music dreams were soon realised as he charted Rocking a Memory (That Won't Go to Sleep) in 1969. He followed that with hits like Gwen (Congratulations) and Ann (Don't Go Runnin).

Overstreet became a regular on 1970s TV variety shows, including Hee Haw and The Midnight Special.

As his music career began to wind down in the mid-1980s, Overstreet became one of the first country performers to move to Branson, Missouri and set up a residency there.