(CNN) Country singer Earl Thomas Conley, who had 18 number one hits and influenced dozens of artists, has died.

Conley, 77, died Wednesday in Nashville where he had been in hospice care, his brother, Fred, told CNN.

"We are heartbroken," Carol Scates, Conley's life partner of 20 years, said. "The light has dimmed but his light will shine on in his music."

Conley topped the charts in the 1980s with hit songs including "Holding Her and Loving You," "What I'd Say" and "Right From the Start."

In 2017, Earl Thomas Conley performs at the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Awards.

Scates told CNN that Conley's creative talents transcended music.

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