The city of Pasadena will celebrate the life and career of country music star Mickey Gilley Thursday at the Pasadena Convention Center.
The public is invited to the tribute, set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Gilley died May 7 in Branson, Missouri, where he owned a theater and spent the past 20 years. He was 86.
The singer/songwriter "helped ignite a new interest in country music as he introduced the world to Pasadena through his dance hall,” Pasadena Mayor Jeff Wagner said in a statement after Gilley’s death.
Gilley’s, the 90,000-square-foot Pasadena nightclub, opened in 1971 and was the setting for the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy" starring John Travolta, Debra Winger and Johnny Lee. It's stage brought to Pasadena such stars as Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Crystal Gayle, Hank Williams Jr., George Jones, Conway Twitty and Gilley’s cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis.
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In 1989, after a dispute with co-owner Sherwood Cryer, the nightclub closed. A year later, it burned down and Gilley went to Branson where he built his theater.
Gilley made his country chart debut with the song "Is It Wrong For Loving You." He followed that with 39 Top 10 hits, 17 making it to No. 1.
He earned six ACM Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
He also made appearances in several TV series including "Murder She Wrote," "The Fall Guy," "Fantasy Island" and "Dukes of Hazzard."
In 2020, the city of Pasadena named a street in Gilley’s honor.