Brad Paisley Remembers Glen Campbell

Country legend Glen Campbell passed away on Tuesday at age 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, and country stars have quickly taken to social media to pay tribute to the iconic singer.

One of those stars was Brad Paisley, who tweeted his thanks to Campbell for his talent.

“Thank you @GlenCampbell for the artistry, grace & class you brought to country music,” Paisley wrote. “You were a shining light in so many ways.”

After Campbell’s passing, Paisley spoke to Variety about the impact the late musician had on his career as a singer and guitar player.

“Glen was the guy, when it came to: Sing, take your guitar solo, sing, take your guitar solo,” Paisley explained. “He was the motivation, in many ways. It was like, that’s what I want to do: sing a little bit, tell a couple jokes, and play a bunch of solos and entertain people. And nobody did it better than Glen Campbell.”

The 44-year-old also noted that many people weren’t aware of Campbell’s guitar expertise until they saw him in concert.

“As tasteful and understated as the guitars were on his albums, he came at live performances from a place of: Okay, now I’m really going to surprise you with the guitar,” Paisley explained. “And that was when people would see: Wow, was he ever a genius.”

Paisley also referred to the late star as a “ray of sunshine.”

“I didn’t know him as well as I would have liked to have, but it was a mind-blowing thing just being around him,” he shared.

Paisley’s grandmother and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s, mother, both suffered from Alzheimer’s, so the star knows firsthand how the disease can affect its victims and their loved ones.

“I’m glad his long goodbye has come to an end at this point,” he said. “I’m glad that he has gone on to somewhere better. You leave a long time before you go with this disease.”

Photo Credit: Instagram / @bradpaisley