A deeply personal tribute at Cowtown Coliseum reminds us that even legends grieve.
On a quiet, sunlit afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas, hundreds gathered inside the historic Cowtown Coliseum to say goodbye to a legend. But among the voices of friends, family, rodeo champions, and country stars, it was George Straitโs trembling words that silenced the room and stirred the deepest emotion.
At the memorial service for Roy โSuper Looperโ Cooper โ the iconic rodeo champion who passed away unexpectedly in a house fire in April โ George Strait stood not as a country music superstar, but as a heartbroken friend.
โI looked up to him โ not just as a cowboy, but as a man.โ
With tears in his eyes and a crack in his voice, Strait spoke openly about a friendship that stretched back to 1983. He didnโt read from a paper. He didnโt perform. He just stood there, raw and vulnerable, speaking directly from the heart.
โRoy Cooper was my hero. I loved him. And I always will.โ
Their bond wasnโt forged onstage, but in the rodeo arena โ a world Strait knows deeply and reveres. Long before platinum records and sold-out tours, George Strait was a team roper and cowboy at heart. His friendship with Roy Cooper, one of the most decorated ropers in rodeo history, was a reflection of that shared world: horses, dust, loyalty, and grit.
ย ย 
More Than a Rodeo Legend
Roy Cooper wasnโt just a rodeo champion. He was a pioneer โ an 8-time world titleholder and ProRodeo Hall of Famer who changed the sport. But to Strait, he was something more personal.
Strait recalled vivid stories that made the audience laugh through tears: Royโs unexpected humor, their adventures at the Kentucky Derby, and an unforgettable moment at the All-American Futurity when Cooper challenged him to a race โ and lost, laughing all the way.
But Georgeโs tone shifted when he said, โWhen you lose a friend like Roy, it feels like you lost a part of yourself.โ
An Arena of Grief and Gratitude
The memorial was filled with country stars and rodeo greats โ including Reba McEntire and Tanya Tucker, who performed โHigh Ridinโ Horses,โ one of Cooperโs favorite songs. Royโs sons, Tuf and Clif Cooper, both rodeo athletes themselves, spoke with love and pride about the man who raised them.
Yet it was Straitโs deeply personal eulogy that lingered. It wasnโt showmanship. It was something far rarer: a moment of real, public vulnerability from a man who has built his career on quiet strength.
A Farewell That Echoed Beyond the Arena
As the final words were spoken and hats lowered in tribute, one truth became clear: Roy Cooperโs legacy will live on โ not only in rodeo record books, but in every cowboy, friend, and song he ever touched.
And for George Strait, that legacy is now a memory woven into every saddle ride, every arena silence, and every verse sung about love, loss, and loyalty.
โI know Iโll see him again someday. Until then, Iโll ride a little harder โ for Roy.โ