Garth Brooks is mourning the loss of Larry Bastian, the songwriter who helped shape some of his most iconic music and played a deeply personal role in his early career. Bastian died on April 6 in California at the age of 90, according to a report from the New York Post.
In a statement provided to the Post, Brooks described Bastian as “a great man… a cowboy, a poet, and a true friend.” He added, “I was lucky enough to be taken in by him as a student when I first moved to Nashville. I love Larry Bastian.”
Bastian and Brooks worked together on two of Brooks’ most beloved tracks: “Rodeo” and “Unanswered Prayers.” The latter, released in 1991, remains one of the most emotionally resonant songs in Brooks’ entire catalog. In liner notes from his 1994 compilation album The Hits, Brooks detailed the moment Bastian helped unlock the song’s identity.
“Pat Alger and I worked on this song quite a long time without a hook, without the line,” Brooks wrote. “We passed it by Larry Bastian, and it was as if it was meant to be. Larry, his wife Myrna, and I were taking a walk down 18th Avenue, and he looked at me and said, ‘Oh, that’s simple. This song should be called Unanswered Prayers.'”
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Brooks has long credited Bastian with giving that song its meaning. “This is probably the truest song I have ever been involved with as a writer,” he wrote. “Every time I sing this song, it teaches me the same lesson… happiness isn’t getting what you want, it is wanting what you’ve got.”
Beyond his work with Brooks, Bastian’s songwriting career reached across generations of country music. His credits include songs for Conway Twitty, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Sammy Kershaw. His son, Nick Bastian, confirmed the songwriter’s passing in a Facebook post, writing, “The Lord called Dad home last night,” and praised his father’s values and legacy.
Brooks once called Bastian “one of music’s greatest writers of all time,” and it’s clear that their bond extended beyond the music they created together. For Brooks, this loss is personal.
Larry Bastian’s name may not always be in the spotlight, but his words have lit up arenas, radios, and hearts for decades. For the millions who still sing along to “Unanswered Prayers,” his legacy is far from gone—and for Garth Brooks, the loss of his mentor and friend echoes far beyond the stage.
