In 1946 Haggard's father died of a brain hemorrhage. The 9 year-old Haggard was deeply affected by the loss, and it remained a pivotal event to him for the rest of his life. To support the family, Haggard's mother took a job as a bookkeeper. Older brother Lowell gave his guitar to Merle when Merle was 12. Haggard learned to play it on his own, with the records he had at home, influenced by Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, and Hank Williams. While his mother was out working during the day Haggard started getting into trouble. She sent him to a juvenile detention center for a weekend to try and correct him, but his behavior did not improve. If anything, he became worse.