George Strait paid tribute to a “good friend and my hero,” legendary eight time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Champion Roy Cooper. Cooper died in a fire at his home on Tuesday night (April 29) in Decatur, Texas, the PRCA confirmed on Wednesday (April 30). He was 69.
“We lost our good friend and my hero Roy Cooper yesterday,” Strait said in a statement he shared on his social media accounts on Wednesday. “He’s with our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ now. God please be with the Cooper family and friends. We’ll miss you amigo. I’ll come find you one day.”
One of Cooper’s sons, Tuf Cooper, shared on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that our family shares the passing of our Dad, The Super Looper, Roy Cooper. We’re all in shock and at a loss for words from this tragedy at the moment.” Others paid tribute to the late PRORODEO Hall of Famer, including other world champions who hailed Cooper a legend who “changed it all,” “a good-hearted guy,” and “like Michael Jordan” in the rodeo world, among other praises. Nine-time world champion Ty Murray said via the PRCA that “Roy Cooper is a legend that the legends look up to.”