George Strait Mourns the Death of a Texas Artist Who Inspired Him

George Strait is mourning the loss of a pioneer in the world of Texas country music.

On Monday (May 12), he shared a remembrance of Johnny Rodriguez, a country legend who died last week at the age of 73. In the 1970s, he rose to fame as one of country music’s first Hispanic stars, and he earned acclaim as a CMA Award winner and a member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.

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But to the King of Country, Rodriguez was more than just a star. He gave a young Strait hope for his own dreams of chasing country music stardom as a Texan.

In a statement posted to his Instagram Stories, the singer said he and his wife Norma have been “so sad” since they learned of Rodriguez’ death.

“He was an inspiration to me from the beginning,” Strait reflected.

“Being from South Texas myself, it gave me so much hope knowing that he had become such a huge success,” the singer continued. “That maybe there was hope for a guy like me.

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“What a great talent he was,” Strait continued. “God bless his family, friends and fans. You’ll be missed, amigo.”

Rodriguez broke into country stardom with the 1973 Top 10 hit, “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through).” He subsequently notched three consecutive No. 1 hits and continued to place hits on the chart well into the ’80s, marking impressive chart success heights, especially as a Texas country artist.

Of course, when Strait kicked off his own mainstream career in the early ’80s, he reached a whole new level of chart success, notching a record-breaking 44 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country chart.