Flint's wife, Brenda Wilson Flint, penned a heartbreaking message on Facebook saying, "I don't understand."
As news of country music star Jake Flint's unexpected death at the age of 37 emerged this week, shock and a sense of loss spread across the Oklahoma music scene. Clif Doyal, the Red Dirt singer-songwriter's longtime publicist, revealed to The Oklahoman that Flint passed away in his sleep hours after his wedding on Saturday. It is still unclear what caused his death.
"He was not only a client, he was a dear friend and just a super nice guy. As you can see from the outpouring on social media, he was loved by everybody," said Doyal. "I think a lot of it was just that he was a people person, and he had an amazing sense of humor. He made everybody laugh, and he made everybody feel welcome. He was an ambassador for Oklahoma Red Dirt music."
Mere hours prior to his passing, Flint married his wife, Brenda, in a ceremony that took place in Oklahoma. On November 28, his grieving wife shared a video from their wedding that showed the two having fun while posing for wedding photographs.
Flint grew up in Holdenville as the son of a wildcat oilman and a hard-working mother of two. He started playing music after his father, an avid music lover, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). His musical influences, in addition to bluegrass, included jam bands like Phish and String Cheese Incident, 1990s rockers like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Texas singer-songwriters like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, and Red Dirt greats like Tom Skinner and The Great Divide.
To make his debut album, I'm Not Okay, released in 2016, Flint went to The Boohatch, the old Ada residence studio of The Great Divide frontman, producer, and Oklahoma Music Hall of Famer Mike McClure.
Flint and Brenda tied the knot at a homestead between Claremore and Owasso. Norman-based one-man band Mike Hosty, who played at the wedding, shared a video clip from the celebration on Monday that shows Flint serenading his bride.
Brenda Cline, Flint's business adviser and former manager, described him as a special person with a gift for building connections. She went on to add that, Flint was incredibly loved and had many fans, and that he was willing to do anything for anybody. She also extended her condolences to Flint's wife, Brenda, while empathizing with how painful this whole ordeal is for her. "To become a bride and a widow in just a few hours is unfathomable. I just can’t imagine what she’s going through," Cline said.
Flint performed both with his band and as a solo acoustic act at venues and was featured on the lineup of Sooner State festivals like the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Bob Childers' Gypsy Cafe and Tom Skinner's Skyline Fest.
The last two events serve as fundraisers for the charitable Red Dirt Relief Fund, an organization that included Flint among its ardent supporters. Red Dirt Relief Fund executive director, Katie Dale, shared that she has been in touch with Flint's family to express condolences and offer financial support if required. Although no benefit or tribute concert has been arranged as of yet, she believes it wouldn't be difficult to fill up the lineup if one were to be.
References:
https://www.today.com/popculture/music/country-singer-jake-flint-dies-after-wedding-rcna59327
https://www.reddirtrelieffund.org/
https://www.facebook.com/1295502881/videos/4989810367788613/
Cover Image Source: Instagram/Jake Flint
