Dierks Bentley‘s dad, Leon Bentley, died on June 1, 2012. He was 88 years old.
After Leon died, Dierks released a statement on social media, saying, “It was an honor to comfort him as he left us. Thank you, fans, for the time and understanding.”
Dierks’ dad helped fuel his love for country music. That love grew over time, and inspired Dierks to pursue a career in the industry. He now has 17 number one hits to his name. Dierks knows that he never would have experienced such success if it hadn’t been for his father.
June 1, 2022 was the 10-year-anniversary of Dierks’ dad’s death. He shared some fond memories of him in a post on social media, writing:
“Dad past [sic] away ten years ago today. Think about him every day. Find myself wanting a little more advice now than I wanted back then! My dad is the one that initially turned me on to country music, just by listening to it in the car. I remember him saying he liked that even if you didn’t know the song, if it was written right, you could still sing along and guess some of the words.”
He ended the post by saying how he wishes his dad got the chance to spend some more time with his children. Dierks and his wife, Cassidy, share three kids: Evie (age 13), Jordan (age 11) and Knox (age 8).
You can read Dierks’ touching tribute to his dad below. He also shared some old photos of him and his dad together. Flip through the slideshow to see all of the pictures.
It’s clear how much Dierks misses his father. Our hearts go out to him and his family…