Mongtomery Gentry’s Eddie Montgomery Calls Troy Gentry a ‘Light in Our World’ Two Years After Death

It’s been two years since Montgomery Gentry‘s Troy Gentry was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in New Jersey, prior to a show. Eddie Montgomery is opening up about the loss, two years after Gentry’s death.

“T-Roy, it’s been two years today since we’ve seen that smile, heard that laugh and sang those songs,” Montgomery wrote, alongside a photo of Gentry. “This picture greets us every day we put on a show – we keep it in the right side of the backline cart, near Franks amp (I know – it’s really loud, sorry about that). The outpouring of love for you never stops, it constantly refreshes us and fills our hearts with joy to know you made such a difference in peoples lives, especially your family at home and your family out on the road.

“We will be together again one day – until then, thank you for being a light in our world, thank you for being a big brother to us all, and thank you for the time we had,” he continued. “The love you left is timeless. We miss you.”

Montgomery Gentry just released Outskirts, a seven-song EP that is the last project that Montgomery and Gentry worked on together before Gentry’s untimely death.

“That was the last thing me and T got to do,” Montgomery told PopCulture.com. “And I tell you, I didn’t know really what to do with it. We found the songs that we wanted to put on the CD, but we had a few extra, and we went ahead and cut them. And the thing about it is, in a studio, when we do sessions, producers and musicians like to cut ’em in threes.

“So we had the songs we found and then our producer said, ‘Is there anything y’all wanna put on?’” he added. “And of course, me and T grew up in honky-tonks. He was a big Patty Loveless fan, so ‘You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,’ she did that and T wanted to do that.”

Montgomery Gentry has spent much of the last two years on the road, even though the stage still feels strange without Gentry.

“For the last 30-plus years, I’ve been looking to my left. Me and T-Roy put this deal together, Nashville did not. We were friends and brothers before Montgomery Gentry,” said Montgomery. “Everybody knew us as at the bar. There’s not a day don’t go by that I don’t miss him. Of course, most of our band’s been with us over 20 years, or 25.

“That’s the thing,” he continued, “it’s bittersweet all the way around, because that’s our family on the road. And we’ve been through bus fires, we’ve been through personal things, all of us.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Michael Loccisano