Country music icon George Strait suffered the loss of two very special individuals saying he “won’t ever be the same.”
Posting on the social media, Strait, 71, shared his tributes to his “treasured” band member, Gene Elders, and his manager of 45 years, Ervine “Erv” Woolsey. The two music legends died within hours of each other, leaving Strait heartbroken.
Hard to believe we lost two of our music family members on the same day. Our Ace In the Hole treasured band member Gene Elders passed away yesterday afternoon shortly after we lost Erv,” Strait wrote. “All of our prayers go out to both families. Me and the band won’t ever be the same without our brother Gene. We loved him so much. Go play with Mike again Geno. We’ll come join you guys later.”
Elders, a native of Austin, Texas, had been with Strait’s Ace In the Hole band since 1984. He played the fiddle and mandolin for Strait and had previously been with Lyle Lovett’s Large Band for 11 years.
Strait’s manager and “most importantly my friend for even longer” was one of the most renowned managers in Nashville, Tennessee.