Maren Morris Claps Back at Troll Who Criticized Her CMA Award Comments After Charley Pride’s Death

Not having it. Maren Morris clapped back at a troll who criticized the comments she made about the Country Music Association Awards following the death of music legend Charley Pride due to COVID-19.

“Screw you @MarenMorris! How dare you even think about jumping to conclusions at a time like this!! You’ve lost a fan in me,” the troll tweeted on Sunday, December 13. Maren, 30, responded, “[waving hand emoji] Love you.”

Pride, who was country music‘s first Black icon, died on Saturday, December 12, in Dallas at age 86. The “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'” singer’s publicist, Jeremy Westby, confirmed to the New York Times his death was due to complications of COVID-19. Pride’s last performance before his death took place at the 54th annual CMA Awards, which was held indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic at the Music City Center in Nashville on November 11. Pride also received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the event.

Maren, who also attended the ceremony and won three awards, took to Twitter to share her thoughts about Pride’s passing. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions because no family statement has been made, but if this was a result of the CMAs being indoors, we should all be outraged. Rest in power, Charley,” she wrote in a since-deleted tweet, adding, “F—k this f—kng year.”

Even though the “Middle” singer and her fellow artists questioned the possibility that Pride may have contracted COVID-19 during the event, the Country Music Association insisted all the proper precautions were taken at the awards show in a statement released on behalf of the organization and Pride’s representatives.

“Everyone affiliated with the CMA Awards followed strict testing protocols outlined by the city health department and unions. Charley was tested prior to traveling to Nashville. He was tested again upon landing in Nashville, and again on show day, with all tests coming back negative. After returning to Texas following the CMA Awards, Charley again tested negative multiple times,” the statement read. “All of us in the Country Music community are heartbroken by Charley’s passing. Out of respect for his family during their grieving period, we will not be commenting on this further.”