Michael A. Kennedy, George Strait‘s drummer, was killed in a car crash in Lebanon, Tennessee on Friday. Kennedy was 59 years old.
Tennessee Highway Patrol officials told The Tennessean Kennedy was driving his 1999 GMC on Interstate 40 just before 4 p.m. local time. The vehicle hit a tractor-trailer as it merged into another lane. The tractor-trailer hit a Chevrolet Silverado. No one else was injured in the crash.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Kennedy was not wearing a seat belt, but officials said it would not have saved him.
Kennedy, who lived in Baxter, Tennessee, was the drummer in Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band for three decades.
“The heart beat of our band is gone,” George Strait Productions manager Paul Rogers tweeted Saturday. “Not sure how we will get back on stage without him. But we must. Much love and respect my dear friend Mike Kennedy.”
The heart beat of our band is gone. Not sure how we will get back on stage without him. But we must. Much love and respect my dear friend Mike Kennedy.
— Paul Rogers (@PAULDROGERZ) September 1, 2018
“Make sure every time you depart company with friends or loved ones that you leave them with good feelings in their heart,” Rogers added in another message.
Make sure every time you depart company with friends or loved ones that you leave them with good feelings in their heart.
— Paul Rogers (@PAULDROGERZ) September 1, 2018
“Prayers going out to [George Strait]and his ace in the hole band! [Paul Rogers] there will never be another like Mike Kennedy. RIP,” a Strait fan tweeted.
Prayers going out to @GeorgeStrait and his ace in the hole band! @PAULDROGERZ there will never be another like Mike Kennedy. RIP pic.twitter.com/K8HJlvMth8
— Patrick (@DayMoneyGS) September 1, 2018
“Not good news. Condolences to Mike Kennedy’s family and the entire [George Strait] crew,” Frank Foster tweeted.
Not good news. Condolences to Mike Kennedy’s family and the entire @GeorgeStrait crew. //t.co/aCPcUXwLt6
— Frank Foster (@TheFrankFoster) September 1, 2018
“One of my greatest honors was to perform with the [Texas Jam Band] and the amazing drummer for George Strait, Mike Kennedy. Just learned he was taken from us in a tragic car crash yesterday. Godspeed amigo. Rest in power Mikey,” musician Haydn Vitera wrote on Instagram.
Kennedy also played with Barbara Fairchild and Ricky Skaggs.
“I played with my dad’s band from the time I was 7 to the time I was 15,” Kennedy said in a 2015 YouTube video for Zildjian Cymbals. “Then he turned me loose and said: ‘Go on out and spoil the world, son, you’re too good for my band.’ So I did that.”
Photo credit: Twitter
Most Viewed
-
THESE FRIENDS OF MINE (A.K.A. ELLEN) – "The Boyfriend Stealer" – Airdate: August 30, 1994. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) JOHN MULROONEY;ELLEN DEGENERES -
TV talk show with female celebrity flat vector illustration. Woman sitting on sofa and talking with host, discussing news in studio. Videographers filming broadcasting. Television, interview concept -
(Credit: Rafa Jodar / Getty Images) -
A ring of vibrant marigold flowers with glowing candles at the center, set against a dark background. (Credit: Eduardo Monroy Husillos / Getty Images) -
NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 13: (L-R) Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom attend the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
