Country musician and songwriter Mac Davis has passed away at the age of 78 following heart surgery, according to his manager Jim Morey. Davis was responsible for penning some of rock legend Elvis Presley’s biggest hits such as “Memories”, “In the Ghetto”, “Don’t Cry Daddy” and “A Little Less Conversation.”

“Mac Davis has been my client for over 40 years, and more importantly, my best friend,” Morey wrote in a statement obtained by Pitchfork. “He was a music legend, but his most important work was that as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend. I will miss laughing about our many adventures on the road and his insightful sense of humor.”

Born in Lubbock, Texas in 1942, Davis began his career as a performer in the 1960s, before getting hired by Nancy Sinatra’s publishing company as a staff songwriter. While working with this company he began a working partnership with Presley, which began with the artist’s 1968 hit song “A Little Less Conversation.”

During the 1970s Davis would make his own hits with “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me” and “I Believe in Music,” while beginning a career as an actor. His acting credits include roles on the film North Dallas Forty, the television show Murder She Wrote and the Broadway musical The Will Rogers Follies.

Davis would eventually be included in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. while continuing to write songs during the past decade. Since 2010 Davis collaborated with the likes of alternative rock band Weezer, EDM artist Avicii and pop performer Bruno Mars.