"Our friend will be missed," read a note from Nelson on his Facebook page. Payne had retired from Nelson's group in 2008 and was leading a relatively quiet life in Stapleton, Alabama, teaching guitar and playing out occasionally.

"We created musical history," he said in a 2011 interview regarding the decades he spent in Nelson's Family Band. "I was just a small part of something people wanted to hear, and we entertained them."

A native of Kentucky, Payne began playing music as a kid, and as a teenager he wound up backing country legend Charlie Monroe (brother of bluegrass founder Bill Monroe). During the 1960s, Payne played with more country greats including Merle Haggard, Ray Price, and Hank Snow.