Nashville, TN Airplane Crash Kills Jim Reeves and his manager, Aug 1964

TWO ARE DEAD

Jim Reeves' Body Found

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Famed country music singer JIM REEVES and his piano player-road manager, DEAN MANUEL, were found dead in the wreckage of a private-single-engine plane seven miles south of here Sunday.

REEVES' body was identified from a driver's license taken from the wreckage. Officials said REEVES, 39, and MANUEL, 30, were returning from a business trip to Batesville, Ark., when the crash occurred Friday night.

Tennessee Highway Patrolman JOHN KANE said the plane was demolished. The engine was partially buried.

The plane crashed in a wooded area about 100 feet behind a house just off U. S. 31. KANE said he understood residents of the house were away at the time of the crash.

There was evidence of fire in the wreckage.

The bodies were taken to a Nashville funeral home.

More than 700 volunteer searchers, Civil Defense workers and police combed a 20-square-mile area for two days. Military, sate and private planes flew over the area during daylight hours.

Many of the searchers were REEVES' friends and associates, in the county music business. They included guitarist CHET ATKINS and singers EDDY ARNOLD, STONEWALL JACKSON and ERNEST TUBB.

REEVES turned to music when he suffered an arm injury in spring training camp after being signed by the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
The former “Grand Ole Opry” star recorded a number of hit songs including “Four Walls,” “He'll Have to Go,” and “Mexican Joe.”
He recently was star of a movie, “Kimberly Jim,” filmed in South Africa and just released in this country.

San Antonio Express Texas 1964-08-03
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!