Mac Davis hailed from Lubbock, Texas. And it’s to Lubbock that he returned to be buried.
In death, the songwriter and actor will fulfill a verse of his song “Texas In My Rearview Mirror.” The verse goes, “And when I die you can bury me in Lubbock, Texas in my jeans.”
Lise Kristen Gerard, Davis’s wife of 38 years, confirmed the news to SavingCountryMusic.com.
Davis lived in Nashville with his wife. He died there on Tuesday, September 29 after a heart surgery operation.
“Texas In My Rearview Mirror” is sometimes misconstrued as an anti-Texas song because of the lyric, “And I thought happiness was Lubbock, Texas in my rearview mirror.” In fact, the song tells the story of a wild youth who runs away to Hollywood only to realize he needs to go home again.
The song ends on a redemptive note: “But now happiness is Lubbock, Texas growing nearer and dearer. And the vision is getting clearer in my dreams, and I think I finally know just what it means.”
On Monday, October 5, his family laid Davis to rest in the Lubbock Cemetery in a private ceremony. According to SavingCountryMusic.com, members of the public could gather east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Canyon Lake Drive near the gates of the cemetery with placards or mementos.
In Lubbock, officials have named a street after Davis. And the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal celebrated Davis as a West Texas boy made good.
“Mac Davis never forgot his roots,” the newspaper said.
