Eddy Arnold, one of the most famous American country music singers, died on Thursday morning at the age of 89 at a care facility near Nashville, Tennessee, according to media reports today.

Growing up in a poor family, Arnold, "The Tennessee Plowboy," began playing the guitar at seven and soon saw music as a way out of the poverty.

He first gained notice with appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, a center for country and western music in Nashville, in the early 1940s. He debuted on the charts in 1945 with "Each Minute Seems a Million Years," and began his string of 28 No. 1 country hits with "What Is Life Without Love" in early 1947.

He mixed country and pop styles, which attracted a wider audience.

"I sing a little country, I sing a little pop and I sing a little folk, and it all goes together," he said.

He sold more than 85 million records and had 147 songs hit the charts.

He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2000 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.