NASHVILLE — Ironton native and Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare paid tribute to fellow inductee Mel Tillis, who died Sunday at age 85.

Bare, whose first top 10 hit, “Detroit City” was penned by Tillis, issued a statement on Sunday.

“I’ve lost a brother,” Bare said. “Mel was the very first person I met when I came to Nashville in the late ‘50s and we’ve been friends ever since. I’ve lost another fishing buddy and a talented, talented brother. Without Mel and ‘Detroit City,’ I probably would not have had a career. Mel’s one of those people you’ve got to love.”

Tillis, who overcame stuttering to become one of country’s biggest stars in the 1970s is best known for his hits “I Aint Never,” “Good Woman Blues” and “I Believe in You.”

Before attaining chart success of his own, he wrote songs which were covered by artists such as Bare, Wanda Jackson and Tom Jones. His daughter, Pam Tillis, found success as a singer in the 1990s.