Mickey Gilley, the Texas honky-tonk whose name inspired the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy" and a countrywide boom of Western-themed nightclubs, has died. He was 86 years old.
Gilley, who helped operate the Mickey Gilley Grand Shanghai Theatre in Branson, Missouri, died on Saturday. He had been performing as recently as last month, but his health had suddenly deteriorated.
According to a statement from Mickey Gilley Associates, "he went peacefully with his family and close friends at his side."
Gilley, a cousin of rock 'n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, built Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas, in the early 1970s, dubbed "the world's largest honky tonk." By the middle of the decade, he had established himself as a prominent club owner and had achieved commercial success with "Room Full of Roses."" He began frequently releasing country successes, such as "Window Up Above" and "She's Pulling Me Back Again." ""Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," a honky-tonk anthem.
He had 39 Top 10 country singles and 17 No. 1 songs in all. He was nominated for six Academy of Country Music Awards and appeared in episodes of "Murder She Wrote," "The Fall Guy," "Fantasy Island," and "The Dukes of Hazzard."
"If I had one desire in life, it would be for more time," Gilley told The Associated Press on his 65th birthday in March 2001. The singer stated he wouldn't do anything differently.
"I am doing just what I desire. "I play golf, fly my jet, and put on shows at my Branson, Missouri, theatre," he stated. "I enjoy performing for the audience."
Meanwhile, the big nightspot's attractions, including its famous mechanical bull, inspired the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy," starring John Travolta and Debra Winger and widely viewed as a country-tinged remake of Travolta's 1977 disco hit "Saturday Night Fever." The film based on an Esquire article by Aaron Latham about the friendship between two regulars at Gilley's club was inspired by Gilley's club.
"Every night before bed, I thank John Travolta for keeping my career alive," Gilley told the Associated Press in 2002. "I can't express my gratitude enough for my role in 'Urban Cowboy.' That film has and continues to have a significant influence on my career."
Johnny Lee's "Lookin' for Love," Boz Scaggs' "Look What You've Done for Me," and Gilley's "Stand by Me" were among the songs on the soundtrack. The film made the Pasadena club a tourist attraction overnight, popularising pearl snap shirts, longneck beers, the steel guitar, and mechanical bulls across the country.
However, the club closed in 1989 due to a conflict between Gilley and his business partner Sherwood Cryer about how to manage it. It was shortly destroyed by fire.
In 2003, Dallas welcomed an upmarket counterpart of the historic Gilley's nightclub. Gilley relocated to Branson in recent years.
He had three wives, the most recent being Cindy Loeb Gilley. He had four children with Geraldine Garrett, his first wife, and one with Vivian McDonald, his second wife.
Gilley, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, grew up impoverished, learning boogie-woogie piano in Ferriday, Louisiana, alongside Lewis and future preacher Jimmy Swaggart. He, like Lewis, would sneak into Louisiana clubs' windows to listen to rhythm & blues. He relocated to Houston to work in construction but spent his nights playing the local club scene and recording and touring for years before breaking through in the 1970s.
Gilley has been suffering from health issues in previous years. In August 2008, he underwent brain surgery after doctors discovered he had hydrocephalus, a disorder marked by an excess in the cranial fluid. Gilley had been experiencing short-term memory loss and believes the operation prevented the beginnings of dementia.
In 2009, he had further surgery after falling from a stairwell, causing him to postpone engagements in Branson. In a vehicle accident in 2018, he suffered a fractured foot and a shattered right shoulder.
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