Country Musicians Respond to the Death of Wayne Mills

As you may have seen reported over the weekend — at first by local news outlets, and then by

and

alike — singer Wayne Mills died Saturday night after being shot at Nashville's Pit and Barrel on Second Avenue. According to a statement, P&B owner Chris Ferrell — not to be confused with the Chris Ferrell who owns all of the Southcomm publications, including the Scene and therefore this blog — told police he shot Mills in self-defense. Much ado has been made over allegations that the shooting followed an argument over Mills smoking in the bar. Police say they are currently investigating the self-defense claims.

Mills — described on his site as "a stiff-necked, country troubadour with an affinity for honky-tonks" — fronted the Wayne Mills Band and has played shows with country stars including Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton and more. Several artists (among them Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Jason Isbell and more) have shared their thoughts and condolences via Twitter. See some of those after the jump.

Also, as posted on the Wayne Mills Band Facebook page, FirstBank has set up a Wayne Mills Family Fund; donations can also be made via this link.