Donald Allen Schlitz Jr., mostly known as Don Schlitz (born August 29 ,1952 in Durham, North Carolina), was an American country singer-songwriter. In 1978 his first hit, "The Gambler" for Kenny Rogers, became a crossover classic and earned him a CMA Song of the Year award. Over the next decades he wrote more than twenty Number 1 country songs, including "Forever and Ever, Amen" (Randy Travis, 1987) and "When You Say Nothing at All" (Keith Whitley, 1986), and received two Grammy Awards and four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year honors. Notable recordings of his own, such as Dreamers Matinee (1980) and Allergic to Crazy (2010), showcased his vocal and instrumental talents. Don Schlitz was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (2017), the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry (2022). He died in Nashville on April 16, 2026 at age 73, leaving a lasting legacy of songwriting.
