Troy Gentry, half of the veteran country music duo Montgomery Gentry, died today in a helicopter crash at the Flying W Airport & Resort in Bedford, NJ. He was 50. The crash happened at about 1 PM; the band had been scheduled to play a concert there later tonight. The show is canceled.
Local paper The Courier-Post reports that a Schweitzer 269 helicopter crashed in a wooded area near the end of the airport's Runway 1. It also said another person on the aircraft was killed, but there were no immediate details.
His death comes the same day Country Music Hall of Famer Don Williams died at 78. More on him below.
Teaming singer-guitarist Gentry with vocalist Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry broke out with its 1999 album Tattoos & Scars and has released seven studio albums since, with all but 2015's Folks Like Us hitting the country top 10 (it peaked at No. 13.) Its 2005 best-of record hit No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The band has placed more than 20 singles on the country chart, including 15 top 10 hits and five chart toppers: "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," "Something to Be Proud Of," "Lucky Man," "Back When I Knew It All" and "Roll with Me."
The duo's best showing on the pop albums chart was for 2004's You Do Your Thing, which hit No. 10. Three others made the top 20 of the Billboard charts.
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