Popular television personality Gordon Edwards Burns, also known as Country Boy Eddie Burns, passed away on January 13 at the age of 92.
Gordon’s family did not disclose the cause but said he was at his residence in Warrior, Alabama when he died. Her statement was:
“He was a trailblazer for both the music and television scenes in Alabama, and his contributions will live on. The Burns family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the viewers, fans, musicians and everyone else who made his life so special.”
Country boy Eddie Burns is survived by his son Doyle and three grandchildren.
Tribute to country boy Eddie Burns on his death aged 92
Gordon Edwards Burns has gained recognition over the years as the host of The Country Boy Eddie Show on WBRC-TV. Radio personality TJ Armstrong expressed his sadness on Facebook by writing that he has interviewed many celebrities but Gordon is his favorite. Armstrong also mentioned that Burns always nurtured local talent, going on to state:
“Eddie and I had formed a friendship before I began my career hosting the Dixie Gospel Caravan and warming the seat formerly occupied by the legendary Wayne Wallace. Since Wayne and Eddie were also friends, he was very excited to be on my show several times.”
TJ said that in one of his interviews Eddie asked him if he had some time to sleep considering he was busy all day. TJ replied that he stayed live for a couple of hours and the rest was pre-taped. Also, TJ added that he edited his interview and was happy to hear how it sounded.
He said his listeners also told him parts of his show were pre-taped, mentioning:
“I called Eddie who heard the same thing and he laughed louder than I’ve ever heard anyone laugh before.”
Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard of his death:
Sad to see reports of the death of “Country Boy Eddie” Burns today. Mr Burns was always very nice to me when I first started working in Birmingham. Prayers for his family and all friends.
Sad to see reports of the death of “Country Boy Eddie” Burns today. Mr Burns was always very nice to me when I first started working in Birmingham. Prayers for his family and all friends.
Sad to learn that Gordon Edwards Burns, known as Country Boy Eddie, has passed away at the age of 92. Of course, he hosted the long-running Country Boy Eddie Show on WBRC from 1957 to 1993. Prayers and condolences to his family 😢🙏 🏼 https://t.co/CzHMVkgXco
Legendary Alabama TV personality Gordon Edwards Burns Country Boy Eddie has died at the age of 92. 🙏😢🙏
Those of you who are local to the Birmingham area will know who I am talking about. Gordon Edwards Burns, better known as “Country Boy Eddie”, died at his home in Warrior this morning. He was 92 years old. He hosted a morning country music TV show on WBRC-TV 6 for many years. 
Those of you who are local to the Birmingham area will know who I am talking about. Gordon Edwards Burns, better known as “Country Boy Eddie”, died at his home in Warrior this morning. He was 92 years old. He hosted a morning country music TV show on WBRC-TV 6 for many years. 😥🙏
Country boy Eddie Burns was known for his appearances on various TV shows
Born December 13, 1930, country boy Eddie Burns developed an interest in radio broadcasting at the age of 10. At 13 he bought a violin and taught himself to play it.
He appeared with the band Happy Hal Burns on The Crossroads Variety Show on WBRC-AM and later toured with the band. During the Korean War he worked with a psychological warfare unit and sang on the Armed Forces Studio Network in Korea, Japan and Hawaii.
Country boy Eddie Burns has appeared on various TV shows (Image via Tony BrakeField/Facebook)
Gordon then joined WILD-AM as a disc jockey for program director Warren Musgrove. He then worked for WLBS-AM, WLPH-AM and a water park in Waterfalls USA. He performed at around 500 live events and later formed his own band, making their debut appearance on WBRC-TV’s Tom York Morning Show.
Gordon was best known as the host of The Country Boy Eddie Show, which aired on around 100 stations. Burns announced his retirement in December 1993 and was presented with the 2001 Media Award by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. He lived in Blount County with his wife Edwina and son Doyle. Edwina died in 2016.