Pasadena mayor on passing of 'Urban Cowboy' inspiration: 'It was my great honor to know this man most of my life'

Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner led the city and the Houston area on Saturday (May 7) in paying tribute to the late country singer who served as the inspiration for the 1980 blockbuster "Urban Cowboy." 

Houston-based media outlets reported that Mickey Gilley died at the age of 86. 

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the Mississippi-born Gilley was inspired to enter the music business by cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart.

The voice behind the song "Is It Wrong For Loving You" and 17 other chart-toppers, KTRK reported, Gilley made Pasadena his home in 1971 and opened his renowned namesake nightclub.

A decade later, Gilley starred with John Travolta and Debra Singer in the romantic Western movie that ushered country music into a whole new realm of mainstream popularity.

Wagner called Gilley a "true legend" on Twitter.

"It was my great honor to know this man most of my life," the mayor said in a tweet, adding that the award-winning singer perished "surrounded by his loved ones."

"Blessed to have him at our State of the City [in February 2020]," Wagner continued in the tweet. "Our prayers are with his family, loved ones and fans."

According to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, Gilley on May 1 announced the cancellation of his tour because of health problems.

The station reported that Gilley put together a career that spanned at least 70 years and continued to remain a popular figure years after "Urban Cowboy" raked in approximately $53 million at the box office.

Wagner said in a Facebook post that the "larger-than-life" Gilley put Pasadena on the map with "Urban Cowboy," Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported.

According to the musician's website, he was born on March 9, 1936 in Natchez, Mississippi and reared in neighboring Louisiana, where he was influenced by the state's famous rhythm and blues sounds.

He worked in the Houston construction business before making the switch to music.