Richard “Kinky” Friedman, the colorful and controversial Texas comedian who ran a passionate campaign for governor in 2006, died last week. He was well-known for his avant-garde music and undying love of animals. He was seventy-nine.

Friedman went away at Echo Hill Ranch, his long-time family home in Medina, according to friends Kent Perkins and Cleve Hattersley. Hattersley indicated in an interview that Friedman had Parkinson’s disease.

“He was a communicator.” “An unusual but very pointed and poignant communicator,” Hattersley observed. “He could move you to tears on stage. He could make you roll on the floor with laughter.”

In 2006, the divisive Friedman ran against Republican incumbent Rick Perry in an independent governor election. Friedman launched a colorful campaign but finished fourth overall.

“Kinky Friedman was a larger-than-life Texas icon and will be remembered as one of the most interesting personalities in Texas politics,” Perry told The Texas Tribune on Thursday. “Kinky’s 2006 race for governor made an otherwise arduous political cycle more enjoyable. May he rest easy after living his life to the utmost.

Friedman again ran for Democratic agricultural commissioner in 2010 and 2014, but was unsuccessful. His colorful manner, smart remarks, and unusual appearance—curly hair coming out from under a black cowboy hat while clutching a cigar—all contributed to his rise to stardom in Texas.

“He has been described as a provocateur, and it’s not in a negative way,” Perkins explained. “His objective was to provoke thought and make people think.”

Friedman was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1944, to Russian Jewish parents. The family moved to Texas a year after Friedman was born, eventually settling in Medina. His parents created Echo Hill Ranch, a summer camp, there. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966.

Friedman founded the funny country band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys in the early 1970s. The trio wrote hit songs like “Get Your Buns in the Bed and Your Biscuits in the Oven” and “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore.” Friedman got the “Male Chauvinist Pig Award” from the National Organization for Women for the latter song, which mocked feminism.

At the same time, he earned the respect of great musicians like Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan.

In the middle of the 1970s, Perkins, an actor, met Friedman during a Christmas party at work. Friedman worked for Columbia Records, whereas Perkins was linked with Columbia Pictures. Because they both wore cowboy hats with their tuxedos, they were able to locate each other amid the hundreds of attendees.

The man Perkins encountered was a deep thinker, humorous, and honest; he was unconcerned about money and simply enjoyed being renowned. If Friedman met someone at a concert and subsequently saw them at an airport in another place, he would remember their name. When he got paid for a book deal, he invited Perkins to a “financial bloodletting” in Las Vegas. He may leave a $10 lunch tip for $30.

“Anyone that wanted to befriend him, he was kind to; he didn’t shut people out even when many others did,” Perkins told me. “Kinky was adored and loved in the entertainment industry by giants.”

Hattersley recalled that Friedman performed every Sunday night at the Lone Star Cafe in New York City in the late 1970s. It became Hattersley’s responsibility to bring him on stage and keep him there. Hattersley related the legendary visitors to his house, including actors Robin Williams, John Belushi, and other Saturday Night Live cast members.

Hattersley claimed he was the only person in country music like him. He remembered his exuberant friend as a “connection point” who made him aware of a variety of individuals he would not have otherwise encountered. Additionally, his “insane” lyrics reflected the revolutionary periods they had lived through in the 1960s and 1970s.

Friedman once famously wore a long jersey, cowboy boots, and no pants while dousing the ladies of the New York Rangers hockey club with beer.

“The irreverence that he was able to get away with opened up more ideas,” Hattersley said. “Right now, we’re in a time in society where word usage is being suppressed, language is being codified almost to the point of hieroglyphics, and so much is being left out. Kinky never left anything out.”

Later, Friedman started writing books. He released novels like “Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola” and “Armadillos and Old Lace,” which frequently included a fictionalized version of the author. He didn’t use text messaging or the Internet, and he used a typewriter to write his novels and columns for Texas Monthly.

In the political sphere, Friedman took stands on issues including legalizing pot and expanding casino gaming, which were uncommon at the time for a candidate running for Texas state office. Long before the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide in 2006, he openly backed it, saying, “I support gay marriage because I believe they have the right to be just as miserable as the rest of us.”

Friedman was also in favor of abolishing the death penalty, raising teacher salaries in Texas, and taking action against illegal immigration.

George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, two previous presidents, became friends with Friedman. At the Alamo, he announced his candidacy for governor and demanded Perry’s “unconditional surrender.” Friedman supported the former governor in his abortive 2012 presidential candidacy after he was defeated by Perry in 2006.

Friedman incorporated his Jewish heritage deeply into his public character. This was demonstrated by the catchphrases he used in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign, such as “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” and the melancholic song “Ride ‘Em Jewboy,” which is inspired by the Holocaust.

“His Jewishness was central to his politics, his music, his books, and his life,” said Laura Stromberg Hoke, who is Jewish and served as Friedman’s press secretary during the 2006 campaign. “That was pretty cool for a lot of us younger folks.”

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According to Perkins, Friedman adopted elderly dogs from their deceased owners and established Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in the late 1990s. Friedman traced its origins back to a wounded cat he came across while traveling with Mr. Magoo, his dog. A veterinarian severed the kitten’s limb. The feline was dubbed “Lucky.”

As he neared death, Friedman’s hospital bed faced his beloved hummingbird feeder, Hattersley said.

Whenever Friedman went into town, he would occasionally ask Perkins to pick up some fried chicken. He grinned, smoked a cigar, and fed it to his dogs. When Perkins visited Friedman a few days ago, he noticed amazing-looking rice and meat stew meals. The cook intervened to stop him as he reached for a platter. The dogs were to eat the food.

“That’s just so Kinky,” Perkins said.

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