This past Memorial Day carried a much more heartfelt significance for country music icon George Strait. At Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, he stepped onto the stage not only to honor fallen heroes but to pay a deeply personal tribute—the George Strait Roy Cooper Tribute—to someone he called family: rodeo legend Roy Cooper.
With a heavy heart and visible emotion, Strait addressed the audience. “Just months ago, none of us could have imagined standing here today like this,” he said, his voice cracking. “Roy was one of my closest friends—one of the few I could count on one hand. He was my hero.”
Roy Cooper, a celebrated rodeo champion and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee, tragically died in a house fire in Texas on April 29, 2025, at the age of 69.
Their bond ran deep. In a 2023 interview with PRORODEO Sports News, Cooper spoke about giving Strait his prized belt buckle: “I’d actually give it to George Strait if he’d wear it, because he’s one of my dearest friends.”
After Cooper’s passing, Strait expressed his sorrow with a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter): “We’ll miss you amigo. I’ll come find you one day.”
George Strait Roy Cooper Tribute: Stories, Smiles & Tears
During the ceremony, Strait shared one of his favorite memories of Cooper—one that brought some much-needed laughter. He told the story of Cooper meeting Stevie Nicks at a Kentucky Derby after-party. Strait chuckled as he recalled how his cowboy buddy tried charming the rock legend.
“Years later, I ran into her, and she asked me, ‘Where’s that wild cowboy friend of yours who tried to rope me in at the Derby?’” The crowd laughed warmly at the story, soaking in the moment.
But that brief joy gave way to grief. Strait paused, visibly shaken. “I miss him so much,” he whispered. “He was a good man.”
This George Strait Roy Cooper Tribute was more than a performance—it was a final, heartfelt goodbye between two men bound by respect, friendship, and the cowboy spirit.
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Source: www.countrysongs.levie.com.vn
