“He was battling aggressive lung cancer,” Pitcox said. “He remained conscious until the last couple of hours and passed away peacefully . . . surrounded by his friends and family.” His career spanned more than six decades and he charted 79 hits in five decades, from his first, “Humpty Dumpty Heart” in 1948, to his last, “Once in a Blue Moon” in 1983. But even after the hits stopped, Thompson maintained an intensive tour schedule, playing upward of 200 to 250 shows a year for most of his career.

He performed as recently as Oct. 8 in his native Waco, Tex., on a day that was declared “Hank Thompson Day” by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy. “He was a stalwart of the honky-tonk and Western swing traditions,” said John Rumble, senior historian for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

“He stayed right with that through all of country’s various experimentations with pop sounds and rock sounds and folk or what have you.” Thompson also was a pioneer in embracing new performance opportunities, being among the first country stars to host a TV show, to perform in Las Vegas and to record a live album. He also recognized and nurtured young talent, mentoring the careers of Merle Travis and Wanda Jackson, among others.

“The Wild Side of Life,” written by Arlie Carter and William Warren and one of the few hits Thompson had with a song he didn’t write, held the No. 1 spot in 1952 for 15 weeks.