Mickey Gilley, Country Singer Who Inspired Urban Cowboy, Dead at 86

Courtesy Mickey Gilley Enterprises

Mickey Gilley, a country singer known for inspiring the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, has died. He was 86.

The musician and actor "passed peacefully" surrounded by his close friends and family Saturday in Branson, Missouri, after coming off a 10-show tour in April, according to a statement shared with PEOPLE by his rep.

He was mourned by several in the country music community as the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville paid tribute on Saturday. "You'll be missed, Mickey," the venue shared on Twitter.

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"Just heard that MIKEY GILLEY has just passed away … wow … another singing friend has gone home … Bye Mickey … until the day," the Oak Ridge Boys posted.

"So sad to hear of the passing of Country Music Legend Mickey Gilley," wrote Grammy Award winner Rhonda Vincent. "Our paths crossed a few times being in Branson; and Gene Watson & I did his TV show. Fortunate to hang out backstage w/Johnny Lee & Mickey Gilley. Great stories and great memories. May He Rest In Peace."

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Born March 9, 1936, in Natchez, Mississippi, Gilley grew up with his cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Lee Lewis, the latter of who taught him to play the piano.

His music touched on several genres, including Louisiana rhythm and blues, country-pop, boogie-woogie and gospel. With 17 No. 1 songs throughout his career, Gilley is known for such songs as "Room Full of Roses," "Lonely Nights" and his cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me."

In 1971, Gilley sparked the urban cowboy movement when he opened his Pasadena honky-tonk Gilley's, which launched a chain of popular nightclubs. The venue even served as the backdrop for Urban Cowboy, in which Gilley appeared alongside John Travolta and Debra Winger.

In addition to elevating his music career, the performance also led to a series of onscreen roles in such shows as CHiPs; Fantasy Island; and Murder, She Wrote; as well as the 1994 movie Gordy.

Throughout his storied career, Gilley earned six Academy of Country Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as being inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Mickey's late wife Vivian Gilley died in 2019, and he has since remarried to Cindy Loeb. He's also survived by his children Kathy, Michael, Gregory and Keith Ray, four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, as well as his cousins Lewis and Swaggart.