Country Music Fans Mourn Singer Chris LeDoux

By Linda Orlando

The world of country music is mourning one of its own today. Chris LeDoux, known around the world as a singer, songwriter, and bareback bronco rider, passed away Wednesday in Casper, Wyoming, at the age of 56, surrounded by family and friends. LeDoux had checked into the Casper Medical Center earlier this week due to complications from ongoing treatment for cancer of the bile duct. He was diagnosed with liver disease in 2000 and underwent a successful liver transplant, but late last year he was diagnosed with cancer and began undergoing radiation treatment.

LeDoux began playing and singing music when he was just a teenager. He competed in rodeos and wrote about his life on the rodeo circuit, turning those stories into songs about cowboys and rodeo riders. His songs perfectly captured the freedom, the romance, and the toughness of rodeo riding, and he gradually attracted hundreds of fans who requested that he deliver tapes of his songs about his life on the rodeo circuit. Although he recorded 22 albums on his own, he wasn’t well known outside the rodeo circle until country superstar Garth Brooks mentioned his name in the hit song "Much Too Young (To Be This Damn Old). " As a result of the tribute, LeDoux’s music became more widely known and country music lovers began seeking him out. He signed with Capitol Records in Nashville in 1990, and his career skyrocketed. In 1992, he and Brooks teamed up for the Top 10 hit, "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy. " In the past 15 years LeDoux released 15 albums and sold nearly six million records.

After his successful liver transplant in 2000, LeDoux was back on tour again within six months of the surgery. He was known for throwing himself into his career, delivering energized, full-force performances on stage that thrilled his fans. But his first album after surviving his life-changing surgery, After the Storm, featured songs with a slightly more gentle tone than his usual hard-driving, rocking fare, and the project as a whole expressed his deepened appreciation for the small joys of each day. Last year LeDoux was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile duct, and he began undergoing radiation treatment. In November 2004, he was forced to cancel several tour dates, including an appearance at the National Finals Rodeo, due to the treatment he was receiving, but his prognosis looked good. In January, LeDoux’s personal website said that he was being treated in his home state of Wyoming, and the doctors were happy with his progress. Their optimism, combined with the fact that Chris was feeling good and looking forward to getting back to his music, led everyone to believe that he would become cancer-free. But sadly, his condition took a turn for the worse rapidly in recent weeks.

LeDoux was a devoted husband and doting father, and he spent every minute off the road with his wife and his family at their ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming. Capitol Nashville President and CEO Mike Dungan released a statement saying, "All of us at Capitol Records and EMI Music are saddened at the passing of Chris. In a world of egos and soundalikes, he was a unique artist and a wonderful man. We have always been proud to represent his music, and honored to call him our friend. Our thoughts go out to his wife Peggy and the LeDoux family. "