Days ago, Toby Keith reached out to his fans, asking them to pray for his friend Valerie. Now, Toby is mourning the loss of one of his good friends, who unexpectedly passed away on Monday night (December 12).
In a post he shared on Facebook, Toby revealed that it was his “longtime friend” Jimbo Elrod who passed away.
https://www.facebook.com/tobykeith/posts/10154076718462124
Football fans out there would know Jimbo from the time he spent playing as a defensive end for the University of Oklahoma. He was a member of the 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, and later moved on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers at the professional level.
The Highway Partol confirmed to USA Today that Jimbo passed away as a result of injuries he sustained in a car accident. He was 62 years old. As Toby shared in his Facebook post, Jimbo was actually on his way home from one of his concerts when the accident occurred.
According to the Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 3:45 AM on Monday, about 60 miles away from the city of Tulsa. Elrod’s vehicle was the only one involved in the accident, which occurred after he struck a guardrail and was ejected through the sun roof of his car.
An early report from the Highway Patrol stated that Elrod was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. The University of Oklahoma confirmed that his wife, Diana, was also in the car, and was rushed to Oklahoma City hospital in serious condition.
The university released a statement on Jimbo’s death, sending their condolences to his loved ones.
“This is a very sad day for the OU football family,” said Bob Stoops, the University of Oklahoma’s head football coach. “Jimbo was an All-American player and person, a great friend of our program who loved his Sooners. He was a true joy to be around, and we will miss him dearly. We wish Diana the absolute best in her recovery and are praying for Jimbo’s entire family on this extremely difficult day.“
Jimbo’s family established a memorial fund on GoFundMe to help his family cover funeral expenses, and to “provide support for his beloved Daughter Chanel Elrod.” If you’d like to help the Elrod family during this sad time, you can do so by making a donation to Jimbo’s memorial fund here.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Toby and all of Jimbo’s family and friends. May he rest in peace.