Madame Tree Hugger

Unfortunately I don't have and photos and we've already cut most of it down, its in the woodburner at this moment. There's just a few feet of trunk/stump left. We'd like to put another willow in its place but obviously not if the young tree would be on diseased ground.

Our beautiful and large willow tree started to ail a year or two back. The amount of greenery gradually reduced to one twig, then to nothing, the bark became very loose, cracking off in many places and then it became obvious that it was dead. I'm no expert but I wondered if it might be bacterial blight as there were one or two wounds on a branch where we had caught the (large, overhanging) branch with the tractor. Does anyone have any idea as to what could have caused our lovely willow to cark it? All ideas appreicated. Thanks