Country legend George Strait will be among several luminaries being celebrated Sunday at the annual Kennedy Center Honors, with President Donald Trump hosting the event. Others getting the honors are Sylvester Stallone, Kiss and Gloria Gaynor.
“It’s going to be something that I believe, and I’m going to make a prediction: This will be the highest-rated show that they’ve ever done and they’ve gotten some pretty good ratings, but there’s nothing like what’s going to happen" on Sunday night, Trump said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, one of several Cabinet secretaries attending the ceremony, said he's looking forward to Trump's hosting job.
“Oh this president, he is so relaxed in front of these cameras, as you know, and so funny, I can’t wait for tonight,” Lutnick said as he arrived with his wife, who is on the Kennedy Center board.
George Strait family: Who are the country star's wife and children?
Strait is married to Norma Strait. Their relationship stretches back to their teenage years in Texas, where their on-again, off-again high school romance eventually turned into a lifelong partnership.
Before Strait became ‘The King of Country Music’, he and Norma quietly eloped to Mexico on December 4, 1971. Only later did they hold a small hometown church ceremony in Pearsall, Texas. Soon after, Strait joined the US Army and was stationed in Hawaii, where the couple began building their life together.
The Straits became parents in 1972 when their daughter, Jenifer Lyn, was born. Their son, George ‘Bubba’ Strait Jr., arrived in 1981. But tragedy struck in 1986 when Jenifer died at just 13 in a car accident. Strait later said, “We were blessed with 13 beautiful years with her.”
In Jenifer’s honor, George and Norma created the Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation, dedicated to supporting children’s charities — a lasting tribute that continues her legacy.
Bubba became a professional roper after graduating from Texas A&M University. He has also co-written a number of songs with his father.
“I'm so proud he took an interest in the music business. For the longest time, he didn't. His focus was rodeo. That's all he wanted to do. Once he decided to move on, he decided to get into music. He took it pretty seriously and pushed me back into writing songs as well,” George once told USA Today.
(With AP inputs)