FORT PAYNE, Ala. — The mother of Alabama lead singer Randy Owen died Thursday, the group announced on social media, adding that the band is canceling a pair of concerts scheduled for this weekend.
Martha Alice Teague Owen, a native of Fort Payne, Alabama, died surrounded by family members, the group wrote in a Twitter post. She died after a short illness, AL.com reported.
The band announced that Friday night’s show in Roanoke, Virginia, was postponed, along with a Saturday night concert in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The Roanoke concert was rescheduled for Dec. 9, with the Fayetteville scheduled two nights later.
Randy Owen founded the country music group along with his cousins, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook. All three are natives of Fort Payne.
The Berglund Center, where Alabama was set to perform on Friday, announced Martha Owen’s death on its Facebook page.
In a 2001 interview with AL.com, Randy Owen said he inherited his musical talent from his parents, who grew up singing gospel music when they were young and continued the tradition after they were married.
The Owen family even recorded a record together, the news organization reported.
Randy Owen called his mother “the hardest working person I’ve ever known.”
“One of the vivid memories I have of my mother was when she was pregnant with my baby sister Rachel, and it was about 100 degrees outside, and she and we were out picking peppers,” Randy Owen told AL.com. “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know how she does this.’”
Martha Owen is survived by her son and two daughters, Reba Patterson and Rachel Carroll, according to The Taste of Country website.