Troy Gentry was a well-known American celebrity in country music in the generation before the turn of the millennium. He had a partner named Eddie Montgomery, and the two began performing as two different bands in the 1990s, while they joined forces to form Montgomery Gentry in 1999. The two produced several hit albums with evergreen songs on them. Here is everything you should know about the life and times of Troy Gentry, his wiki, his biography, his wife, his family, his daughter, his painful death, and his funeral.
Who Was Troy Gentry?
Troy Gentry was born as the son of Patricia and Lloyd Gentry on April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky. He had siblings, a brother named Keith Gentry and a sister named Jana Gentry Eckhardt. Their family was a happy family because the children had their parents to themselves. Troy Gentry enrolled at Lexington Community College in the neighborhood when he was supposed to go to college, and later attended the University of Kentucky after graduating college.
Troy’s friend and musical partner, Eddie Montgomery, formed the sensational Early Tymz band in 1990, which had no equal at the time. The Early Tymz Band had as one of its members his younger brother John Michael Montgomery and of course Troy Gentry. The formation of this band contributed in no small measure to promoting Troy’s musical interest and nurtured his desire to make it big as a musician. However, the group was not to last forever, or rather, it was disbanded a few years later.
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Solo Career
Troy Gentry appeared as a soloist for a while; during this interim solo performance, he decided to be shortlisted for the Jim Beam National Talent Contest in 1994. He subsequently won the contest as best. This led him to open up to Patty Loveless and Tracy Byrd in the hope of continuing to perform as a solo artist and furthering his career. However, not everything went smoothly for him as he was unable to sign a record deal. Soon he reunited with his long-time friend and former music partner Eddie Montgomery to form a band that became known as Deuce.
Deuce played in local nightclubs and was quite famous among the locals at that time. They decided to change the name to something that would easily and quickly reveal the identity of the owners, so they chose Montgomery Gentry and signed to Columbia Records in 1999. So what Troy Gentry could not achieve as a solo artist, he achieved in collaboration with his old music partner Eddie Montgomery.
Montgomery Gentry continued his music and the release of albums like Tattoos & Scars in 1999/2000, Rebels on the Run and Friends and Family in 2001/2002 and finally Folks like Us in 2013/2015, which unfortunately was their penultimate album before the tragic death of Troy Gentry.
In November 2016, after their departure from Blaster Records, they again signed record contracts with Average Joes Entertainment. They were working on a new album that was to be released in 2017. They finished the album before Troy’s death and it was released on September 8th, 2017. The album is called Here’s to you. Eddie Montgomery expressed the wish to continue the band name Montgomery Gentry as an act.
Facts About Troy Gentry Wife, Daughter, and Family
Troy is no more, but the family he left behind is still alive. Troy Gentry married his wife Angie McClure on December 14, 1999, in Maui Hawaii, at a time when everything was going perfectly in his music career. Troy had a child from a previous marriage with a woman named Kai Gentry. It is not known when they officially divorced, but they had a daughter named Taylor Gentry. His child with Angie McClure was born in November 2002 and was named Kaylee Gentry. They derived their name Kaylee from their two middle names. Angie’s middle name is Kay, while Troy’s middle name is Lee.
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Troy Gentry Death and Funeral
Troy Gentry died at the age of 50 on October 8, 2017, at 13:00 hours in a helicopter crash in which the pilot also died. He was on a helicopter tour of Medford, New Jersey, where he and Eddie Montgomery were to perform later that evening when the crash occurred. The pilot died at the crash site, while Troy collapsed while being taken to the hospital.
The band Montgomery Gentry announced his death via their official Twitter handhold, where they were deeply saddened to learn that Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo Montgomery Gentry, was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey.
On September 14, 2017, a public memorial service that was well attended was held for Troy Gentry at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Troy Gentry is no more, but his music and legacy live on.