Hank Snow, the first country superstar from Canada, died yesterday morning at his Nashville home of natural causes. He was 85. He had been active until the past couple of years, and last played the Grand Ole Opry in September 1996.

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, Snow recorded for Bluebird in Canada and spent years trying to crack the U.S. market, finally vaulting from Dallas' "Big D Jamboree" to the Grand Ole Opry in 1950, with Ernest Tubb's help. His breakthrough record that year on RCA was "I'm Moving On." He eventually scored 65 top-40 hits on the Billboard country charts.

He also took a stab at artist management, forming a talent agency with Col. Tom Parker in 1954. They initially co-managed Elvis Presley, until Parker took the rock'n'roll singer as his own client.

Snow was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1979.

In related news, singing cowboy Rex Allen Sr. died Friday in Tucson, Ariz., when his caretaker accidentally hit him with a car in his driveway. He was 78.

Born in Willcox, Ariz., Allen was a rodeo performer before turning to music. He recorded for Mercury, starred in 19 cowboy movies for Republic, and later acted in the TV series "Frontier Doctor," as well as worked as a narrator for numerous Disney projects.

Allen's last recording came in 1995; it was the Warner Western duet album "The Singing Cowboys," which he recorded with his son Rex Allen Jr.

Allen Sr. was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1968.