Travis Tritt Dedicates ‘I’ve Always Been Crazy’ To Waylon Jennings Just Days After His Death
on Feb 20, 2025
The Country Music World Was Rocked When Outlaw Legend Waylon Jennings Passed Away On February 13, 2002
In the last 14 years of his life, Jennings suffered from Type 2 diabetes. In 1988, he underwent heart bypass surgery after years of smoking six packs of cigarettes a day. His diabetes got really bad in 2000, and the pain caused him to end most of his touring. He had surgery to attempt to help the blood circulation in his left leg, but his left foot was still amputated in December 2001 due to complications with diabetes.
Two months later, he passed away in his sleep at his home in Chandler, Arizona at the age of 64.
Travis Tritt Paid Tribute To Jennings Just Days After The Legend’s Death
Travis Tritt, who considered Waylon Jennings a close friend, was slated to play at the Grand Ole Opry later that week. Instead of canceling his appearance, he used his platform to pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians country music has ever seen.
“I don’t have to tell you folks what the man that we lost this week meant to me,” Tritt told the audience. “Just like all of us who are here this evening, Waylon taught us a lot of lessons, and we’ve all borrowed from him at some point or another and we’ve all learned from him.”
Tritt revealed that just a year and a half prior, he recorded a live album with Jennings at The Ryman Auditorium, and since then, he and his band have been performing the Waylon Jennings classic “I’ve Always Been Crazy” on the road.
He figured no better time than now to play the song for his friend on the stage they once shared together.
“We wanna do this one for Waylon tonight,” he said before diving straight into the hard rocking country song.
Tritt turned what could have been an extremely heartbreaking moment into something Jennings would have loved – country fans rocking out to a real country song.
Watch his “I’ve Always Been Crazy” tribute below.
