George Strait Mourns Heartbreaking Death of Country Legend: “He Was an Inspiration to Me From the Beginning”

Although George Strait found himself on top of country music, just like any singer, he once stood on the outside looking in. Watching some of his favorite singers perform in front of thousands, Strait decided to follow in their footsteps. At the time, the singer had no idea the success that would follow him for decades. One of the biggest names in country music, the singer recently took a moment to celebrate the life and legacy of Johnny Rodriguez. The Texas country music star, known for songs like “Desperado”, sadly passed away at 73 years old. 

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Throughout his career in the music industry, Rodriguez recorded six No. 1 hits. Among some of his hit songs were “Foolin’”, “Down on the Rio Grande”, and “You Always Come Back To Hurting Me.” On May 9th, country music lost a legend. And with numerous singers remembering the late star, Strait also jumped on social media to explain how much of an impact Rodriguez had on his own career. 

Posting on his Instagram Stories, Strait wrote, “Norma and I are so sad about Johnny’s passing. He was an inspiration to me from the beginning. Being from South Texas myself, it gave me so much hope knowing that he had become such a huge success. That maybe there was hope for a guy like me. What a great talent he was. God bless his family, friends, and fans. You’ll be missed, amigo.” 

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Johnny Rodriguez Inspired More Than Just George Strait

Having such a big impact on singers like Strait and country music itself, many shared their love for Rodriguez. Even the Twitter account for the late Toby Keith posted a picture of the two sharing the stage. The caption read, “Toby always said that Johnny Rodriguez was a big influence on his singing. He saw Johnny in concert many times, and even booked him to perform at his 60th birthday celebration. RIP Johnny.”

Thanks to his passion and love for music, Rodriguez left his own mark in country music and helped inspire an entire generation of talented stars like Strait and Keith.

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