"We thought 'That's not too bad...'"
More on Buck Owens...

This item, from "Wire service reports" in the BALTIMORE SUN's online edition, says it all:

Buck Owens, the country music star who died Saturday at 76, was performing on stage just hours before he died at home in Bakersfield, Calif.

The cause of death was not immediately known, but the country music giant who charted 21 No. 1 country singles from 1963 to 1988, among them "Act Naturally," "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" and "Streets of Bakersfield," had been in declining health after successfully undergoing surgery for throat cancer in 1993.

"He had come to the club early and had a chicken-fried steak dinner and bragged that it's his favorite meal," said Jim Shaw, a family spokesman and member of Owens' Buckaroos band. "After dinner, Owens told band members he didn't feel up to performing and decided to drive home. On his way to his car, fans on their way in told him they'd come from Bend, Ore., and how much they were looking forward to hearing him sing. Owens turned around and did the show."

"He mentioned that onstage: 'If somebody's come all that way, I'm gonna do the show and give it my best shot - I might groan and squeak, but I'll see what I can do,' " Shaw said. "He died in his sleep, they figure it was about 4:30 [a.m.], probably of heart failure. So he had his favorite meal, played a show and died in his sleep. We thought that's not too bad."