Remembering The Death of Chris LeDoux and His Flourishing Career in Music and Rodeo

On March 9, 2005, tears fell through the country music community as singer-songwriter Chris LeDoux died in Casper, Wyoming – where he and his family lived nearby. The country star suffered from a rare form of cancer and was admitted to Wyoming Medical Center after experiencing complications. He was 56.

It was in 2000 when LeDoux was diagnosed with rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis. LeDoux eventually revealed that he had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a slow-growing cancer of the bile duct.

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After a lengthy illness, he then needed to undergo a liver transplant. LeDoux’s longtime friend and fellow country star Garth Brooks were first to respond to the news of the artist’s need for a transplant, discreetly offering to donate a part of his liver. 

However, Brooks’ liver was found incompatible. Such a generous offer only shows LeDoux and Brooks’ long-standing friendship.

Chris Ledoux‘s Flourishing Musical Career And Rodeo Life

Chris LeDoux songs about his rodeo life made a mark in country music and helped him achieve a successful career in the genre.

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He recorded over thirty albums and sold more than six million units in the United States. He was even honored several times, including nominations from the Grammy Awards and the Academy of Country Music Pioneer Award.

LeDoux was a professional cowboy on the national circuit during the 1970s, at the same time writing and recording songs on the side. At the end of his rodeo career, he began playing concerts that were very popular. A decade later, LeDoux self-released twenty-two albums – which were mostly cassettes produced by his parents that he often sold out of the back of his pickup truck.

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But things changed when Garth Brooks, who was a then-rising country star, gave LeDoux a shout out on his debut single “Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old),” which turned out to be a hit.

Aren’t we all glad Chris LeDoux walked through our lives?