Paul English, Willie Nelson’s longtime drummer and bodyguard, dead at 87

Paul English, who played drums for more than half a century for Willie Nelson and also served as the country singer's unofficial bodyguard, died Wednesday of pneumonia, The Dallas Morning News reported. He was 87.

English, who joined Nelson’s band as a full-time member in 1966, inspired the ballad “Me & Paul,” the newspaper reported. He had played onstage with Nelson as early as 1955 at Fort Worth honky-tonks, the newspaper reported.