Singer Scott Whitehead of the early 2000s country duo Hometown News has died. A post at GrassRoots Promotion’s Facebook page shares that his death came unexpectedly on Friday (March 12), with no cause of death or age listed.
Hometown News was made up of Whitehead and Ron Kingery, and they scored two Top 40 airplay songs in 2002: “Minivan” and “Wheels.” The pair also cut two albums for VFR Records and Quarterback Records, with both hits coming from the Wheels record.
Ford got behind them at the time, sponsoring their 90-stop radio tour, the Windstar Minivan Tour. Their self-titled album can be streamed on Spotify.
After the ACM Awards-nominated duo disbanded, Whitehead — a U.S. Navy veteran who flew F/A-18 Hornet missions in Iraq — became a business manager for GrassRoots Promotion and FanTheJam.com. He was married to Nancy Tunick, GrassRoots’ managing partner and co-owner, with whom he recently celebrated 29 years of marriage.
“We are mourning the death of Scott Whitehead,” the note announcing his death reads reads.
Together, the couple have two teenage children, and Whitehead has an adult son from a previous marriage; he is also survived by his parents. Per the note on Facebook, a celebration of his life is planned for later this year, when it is COVID-19 safe.
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