Billy Strings paid tribute to his mother in an emotional Lexington gig just hours after learning she had died.
The Grammy-winning bluegrass musician was on stage in Kentucky on Friday (June 20), and told the audience that his mother, Debra Apostol, had passed away.
Looking to the crowd for support, the ‘Taking Water’ artist said the show was “probably going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done”. He went on to warn the audience he was unsure how the evening would go, saying how it turned out was “up in the air”, and depended “on how much strength I can muster and how much I can lean on y’all.”
He said that after playing in Michigan the night before, he had driven with his crew straight to Lexington and fallen asleep in the early hours. Later on in the morning, Strings said his wife woke him up and “told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostol, had passed away in her sleep.”
Holy shit this is heavy as fuck. Billy’s mom passed away last night and this home boy just owns it and just comes out and lets it go. Some incredible stuff. Wow.
RIP mama strings.. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/u2TqWTC7ca— chuck the wöök (@wook_chuck) June 21, 2025
He went on to say that after hearing the news, he instinctively started walking until he encountered an old country church and was let in by a woman there. “She stayed with me and prayed with me for a while, and eventually gave me a ride back to where I was staying,” he said.
From there, Strings shared that he made the decision to proceed with the Rupp Arena concert “because that’s what my mom would’ve wanted me to do.”
6.20.25 | Lexington, KY 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/35xRr9mRXG
— Billy Strings (@BillyStrings) June 21, 2025
“She really loved this group of people,” he told the crowd. “She loved y’all so much. The last couple years were some of her happiest because of a lot of you folks right here. Y’all became some of her best friends, and I really want to thank you for that. The reason I decided not to go home and be with my family right now is because I already am.”
He concluded by asking everyone to make noise for his late mother as he wept. He then welcomed his band to the stage for an emotionally charged rendition of ‘I’ve Just Seen the Rock of Ages’.
Strings is set to play dates in Australia and New Zealand next month, and another US leg of tour dates kicking off in August. You can find tickets here.
