john travolta mickey gilley© Photo: Getty Images

John Travolta pays moving tribute to Mickey Gilley

The country star passed away aged 86

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
May 10, 2022

John Travolta took to social media to reveal that he was grieving the loss of someone he considered a friend and many considered a legend.

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The actor shared that he was mourning the death of country star Mickey Gilley, who passed away the previous weekend at the age of 86.

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He shared a snapshot of the two from the 1980 flick Urban Cowboy, which saw John's character frequent a club named Gilley's, Mickey's real life Texas nightclub, and was inspired by the country music scene at the time.

The film not only proved to be a success for the star, but also revitalized Mickey's career, with the soundtrack kicking off a movement in soft-core country music in the 80s.

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John penned: "'Mickey Gilley, the ultimate urban cowboy'. I was so sorry to see Mickey go. He had a wonderful life and he always appreciated me deeply and I loved him for that."

© Photo: Instagram

Born in 1936, Mickey's death was shared by the mayor of Pasadena Texas, writing: "It was my great honor to know this man most of my life. Mickey was a true musical talent who charted 42 singles in the Top 40 Country Charts over a span of two decades."

Mickey leveraged his success with Urban Cowboy into an acting career, starring in The Fall Guy, Fantasy Island, and Dukes of Hazzard.

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He is one of only a few artists to win the ACM's Triple Crown Award, which most recently was won by Miranda Lambert.

He won six Academy of Country Music Awards and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame over his career, and in 2011 he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.

© Photo: Getty Images

Mickey's career was rejuvenated by Urban Cowboy

He is survived by his wife Cindy Loeb Gilley, and children Kathy, Michael, Gregory and Keith Ray, as well as four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren and his cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.

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