What Happened To George Strait’s Daughter ?
Shortly before midnight on June 25, 1986, in San Marcos, Texas, a tragedy happened that would forever change the Strait family’s lives.
George Strait’s daughter Jenifer Lyn Strait was riding with her three friends when a driver lost control of his Ford Mustang as he tried to take a turn too quickly. The car rolled over, south of San Marcos, not far from where the singer lives. Unfortunately, Jenifer’s window was open, and she did not have her seat belt on. The thirteen-year-old daughter of George and Norma Strait instantly lost her life that night, the only fatality of the one-car non-alcohol-related accident.
The King of Country was home during that time and was at the scene shortly after being notified. The family struggled to come to terms with the loss. The heartbroken singer said in a statement, “We will all miss Jenifer very much, and we will never forget her, her smile, and laugh.”
“She meant the world to us, and we’ll miss her dearly. We’re doing our best to make it through this with your help we will. It’s hard to think of the years ahead without her to see, but her memory will always be with us.”
Jennifer’s Death Prompted George Strait To Cut The Number Of Interviews He Agreed To
Ever since Jenifer’s death, George Strait stopped giving interviews and avoided every opportunity to address the tragic car accident. Though he once spoke to The New Yorker magazine in one of the few interviews, he has granted. He explained why the loss of his daughter prompted him to cut the number of interviews he agreed to.
“I just didn’t feel like talking about it, so I quit…I did want to keep singing, absolutely,” Strait said. “But I was at the point where I’m [like], ‘Alright, if this is going to cost me my career, then so be it, but it’s the only way I’m going to be able to cope with it.’ It just kind of turned out the way it did. It wasn’t an intentional thing.”
