Jason Aldean Sings ‘Lonely and Gone’ in Troy Gentry’s Honor [WATCH]
During his Saturday night (Sept. 9) concert in New Jersey, Jason Aldean took a few moments to honor Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, who died in a helicopter crash on Friday (Sept. 8). Readers can press play above to watch Aldean's live cover of Montgomery Gentry's song "Lonely and Gone."
“Those guys were always really cool to me, coming up, when I was a new artist," Aldean recalls of Gentry and duo partner Eddie Montgomery. "They kinda took me under their wing and were really cool to me ... One thing I know about Troy is, he always loved a good time; he always had a smile on his face and liked a good party, and I think tonight’s a pretty damn good party, so here’s to Troy Gentry."
"Lonely and Gone" comes from Montgomery Gentry's debut album, 1999's Tattoos and Scars. It was released as the record's second single; Aldean told his crowd that he used to play the song "in the clubs back in the day, before I had any hits of my own."
Before remembering Gentry, Aldean also made a point to honor singer-songwriter Don Williams. Williams also died on Friday (Sept. 8), at the age of 78.
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The helicopter crash that killed Gentry took place in Medford, N.J.; he and Montgomery were scheduled to perform there that evening.
“Not long after takeoff, the pilot announced over the airport frequency — which was being monitored by a number of people — that he was having difficulty controlling engine RPM,” Brian Rayner, senior air safety investigator with the NTSB, explains. “A couple of different responses to that challenge were discussed, and he was performing an auto rotational descent … The helicopter landed short of the runway in low brush, it was substantially damaged, and the occupants were fatally injured.”
Gentry was removed from the wreckage at the scene but was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. In addition to Gentry, the helicopter’s pilot, James Evan Robinson, died in the crash; crews worked for hours to remove his body from the wreck.
“Known for his wide smile, Gentry was personally driven by faith, family and living life to the fullest,” Gentry’s official obituary reads. “One of his favorite Bible verses was Deuteronomy 31:6, which says, ‘Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.’”
A celebration of life event in Gentry’s honor is scheduled for Thursday (Sept. 14). According to Average Joes Entertainment, Montgomery Gentry‘s record label, Montgomery Gentry had recently completed a new album.
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