Charles Esten

Fans of Nashville were rattled by the shocking death of the show’s reigning matriarch, Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton). But the stars of the show were, too.

Any fan of Nashville knows the music is a driving force of the show. That fact hasn't changed for Season 5 of the nighttime drama, which aired its season premiere Jan. 5 on its new home on CMT after it was canceled by its original network, ABC.

While Nashville fans are sure to have their favorite moments from the hit drama, the cast have revealed some of their own fondest memories created on and off screen.

According to Charles Esten, the actor behind the troubled yet good-hearted Deacon Claybourne on CMT’s Nashville, his character has grown up a lot since we saw him last.

It’s no secret that the fans of Nashville have been a driving force of the show. Due to their fierce passion for the characters and their stories, fan reaction played a crucial role in CMT’s decision to revive the show after its cancellation on ABC, something the cast is grateful for.

Though widely known for his role as Deacon Claybourne on CMT's Nashville, Charles Esten also still gets recognized from his days on the improv comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Most fans know him as Deacon Claybourne on Nashville, but many may not realize the struggle Charles Esten faced when daughter Addie was diagnosed with leukemia when she was two years old.

Fans were shocked and dismayed at ABC's cancelation of Nashville in May, but they weren’t going down without a fight. The show officially returns to the screen in December.

Much of the cast of ABC's Nashville calls Nashville home, and many say they have no plans to move even if the show is indeed finished. While executives are trying to sell the series to a new network, these nine musicians are poised to become country hitmakers, if they want to.

Country is alive and well in the big city. Actors from ABC’s hit show Nashville showed off their singing chops as they took the stage at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on May 5.