Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens dies at 94

NASHVILLE, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Country music legend and Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens died Friday of cardiac arrest at a Nashville hospital. He was 94.

The musician's cardiac arrest came after he had a stroke on Christmas Day, the Grand Ole Opry website said.

Dickens was known for his short stature -- he was 4 feet, 11 inches tall -- colorful jackets and hits "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," "Out Behind the Bar," "Country Boy" and "Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait.)" He was the longest-running Grand Ole Opry performer and last took the stage Dec. 20.

"The Grand Ole Opry did not have a better friend than Little Jimmy Dickens," Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager, said in a statement. "He loved the audience and his Opry family, and all of us loved him back. He was a one-of-kind entertainer and a great soul whose spirit will live on for years to come."

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983.

Dickens is survived by his wife, Mona Dickens, and daughters, Pamela Detert and Lisa King.