Merle Haggard Dies on His 79th Birthday

"He was my brother, my friend. I will miss him," writes Willie Nelson in a tweet, accompanied by a photo of himself sharing a laugh with the late Merle Haggard and a link to view their iconic "Pancho and Lefty" video. Nelson and Haggard were indeed as close as family, with their musical and personal bonds dating back to long before that first collaboration, and spanning through Haggard's death today at the age of 79.…