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On This Day: Late Montgomery Gentry Singer Troy Gentry Married Wife Angie in 1999

Troy Gentry would be celebrating his 21st wedding anniversary today, Dec 14. The late singer from the award-winning duo Montgomery Gentry married Angie McClure on Dec 14, 1999, in Maui, Hawaii.

Gentry’s marriage to McClure couldn’t have arrived at a better time. That year, Montgomery Gentry dropped their debut album, Tattoos & Scars. The duo was quickly approaching their big break as the record’s first three singles, “Hillbilly Shoes,” “Lonely and Gone,” and “Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm,” claimed a spot in the “Top 20.”

Three months after the wedding, things kept getting better for Gentry when the album went certified platinum, selling a whopping one million copies. 

In 2002, the happy couple welcomed a baby girl named Kaylee, strengthening the family’s bond even more. 

“I’ve grown up,” he once told Nashville Parent magazine. “I’m more responsible now. Before children, the social scene was more important to me. Now, I’d rather be home with my family than out all night. Angie and I have date nights, of course. But I travel a lot for work, so I find comfort here at home.”

Montgomery Gentry’s Activism

Just two years later, in 2004, McClure’s breast cancer diagnosis would put a strain on the couple’s marriage. In response, Montgomery Gentry created the “Check Your Headlights” campaign to spread awareness about breast cancer. 

“As you know, we launched this ‘Check Your Headlights’ campaign for breast cancer awareness in early October,” Gentry shared on his Facebook. “What you didn’t know is that right before we launched, my beautiful Angie got a diagnosis from her doctor that has rocked our world a bit over the last few weeks. She has breast cancer — and we wanted you to hear it from us first. She is currently going through chemo treatments, and her prognosis is very good. We’d love for you to keep her in your prayers over the next few months.”

Although McClure was able to recover from her diagnosis, at times it was tough on the family.

“It’s devastating just to hear the word cancer,” he told The Boot, “but with today’s technologies, medicines, all that, and having the support of people who have defeated cancer, it’s great to have in your corner.”

Despite overcoming many obstacles, tragedy hit the family three years later when Gentry died in a helicopter crash while he was on the way to perform in New Jersey. 

In 2018, McClure filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturers of the helicopter. 

Troy Gentry’s Memory Lives on Through Charity

McClure also wanted to make sure her late husband’s memory continued to live on by making him an organ donor. However, Gentry’s injuries in the accident left his organs too damaged to be transplanted. 

Fortunately, Gentry would give back to others by donating his bones, tissue, and corneas.

In response to the organ donation following Gentry’s death, the Troy Gentry Foundation has since formed. It allows the Gentry family to raise funds for three causes close to Gentry’s heart: cancer research, music education, and the military.

Two annual charity events for the Troy Gentry Foundation, titled “C’Ya on the Flipside,” have been held at the Grand Ole Opry House. 

In 2019, the inaugural benefit concert featured a headlining performance by Blake Shelton plus appearances by Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Dustin Lynch, and others.