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Country star Mickey Gilley, best known for his association with the 1980s film “Urban Cowboy,” passed away Saturday in Branson, Missouri at the age of 86. No cause of death was revealed. According to a statement by his management company, “He passed peacefully with his family and close friends by his side.” Gilley landed 39 Top 20 hits throughout his career, including the tracks “Stand By Me,” “Room Full of Roses,” “Lonely Nights” and “A Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight).” He also won six ACM Awards, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But it was his association with the John Travolta film “Urban Cowboy” that brought him crossover success. Not only did he appear in the film, but his honky-tonk Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas, was the main setting for the movie. After the film Gilley went on to do more acting, including appearances in such TV series as “Murder She Wrote,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “Fantasy Island” and more.
Looks like Sam Hunt’s love life is on the mend. TMZ reports that his pregnant wife Hannah Fowler has called off their divorce. According to the site, Hannah filed legal documents last month to dismiss the divorce case and now a judge has signed off on her request. This isn’t the first time Hannah withdrew her divorce petition. She did so back in February not long after filing them, but then re-filed in a different county. The end of the divorce drama comes as the couple are due to welcome their first child, a baby girl, at the end of the month.
The iHeartCountry festival went down in Austin, Texas this weekend, and it was a great night for music, and included few surprises. The night’s lineup included performances from Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, Maren Morris, Dustin Lynch, Jimmie Allen, Scotty McCreery, Cody Johnson, and more. Thomas fans got something different, with the singer and his guitarist performing an acoustic set after members of his band tested positive for COVID. He performed such hits as "Slow Down Summer," "Sixteen," and "Die A Happy Man" which was dedicated to his wife and daughters. This year’s "We're All Country" Guitar Pull powered by RAM Trucks started off with performances by Maren and Lainey Wilson, with Maren performing “Rich” and “The Middle,” and Lainey performing “Never Say Never” and “Things A Man Oughta Know,” before Lainey introduced the night’s surprise guest, Dierks Bentley, who performed “Burning Man” (with Lainey), “Beers On Me” and “I Hold On.” The weekend’s other highlights included:
- Dustin kicked off his set with Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right (To Party)," and then treated the crowd to his songs, "Small Town Boy," "Thinking 'Bout You,” and more before wrapping with “Party Mode.”
- In addition to their own songs like “Homegrown,” “Out in the Middle,” and “Chicken Fried,” ZBB covered the Eagles’ “Take It To The Limit,” mashed up with “Colder Weather,” and then rocked out to Rage Against the Machine’s “Bulls On Parade.”
- Carrie performed her latest single, “Ghost Story,” along with such hits as “Church Bells,” “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “Before He Cheats” and more.
- Maren sprinkled her set with new songs and old hits including “Circles Around This Town,” “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” “I Could Use A Love Song,” and, of course, “My Church.”
- Jimmie filled his set with hits including “Down Home,” “Make Me Want To,” “Freedom is a Highway” and more.
- Scotty got emotional for his performance of “Five More Minutes,” with his set also including such hits as “In Between,” “Damn Strait” and “You Time.”
- Cody, a Texas native, played a hits-filled set, with songs like “Dear Rodeo,” “Human,” and “Til You Can’t.”