11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Country music singer tells fans to ‘shut up' during tribute for his late sister
Randall King wasn't about to let a fan ruin the moment.
The country music singer was paying tribute to his late sister during a June 19 show in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when he was interrupted by several fans who wanted him to sing a Merle Haggard song.
King got so agitated that he told the audience members to 'shut up.'
'I ain't playing a … Haggard song. Give me a second. I'm talking about my sister, man. Give me a second. Be respectful please,' he pleaded to the crowd.
Footage of the interaction was shared June 21 by Primetime Country Music on TikTok.
The video shows King talking about his late sister Leanna, who passed away in April 2020, during a break between songs.
'My sister meant the world to me. She was my best friend,' he says of Leanna. 'I miss her everyday, man, but I can tell you the last five years, I've seen her many a time … She's always around.'
King, who is known to tell Leanna's story during performances, announced his sister's death in an emotional Facebook post the day after she died.
'Understand that it's gonna be a while before I can pick up a guitar again. For that I am sorry to my fans. I'm just gonna need time,' he wrote in the April 2020 post.
King went on to describe Leanna as his 'big sis, my partner in crime, my teammate when we went to pickin on dad and mom.'
'She was there for me in my hardest times and some of my darkest times. She was the brightest light I've ever seen,' he added. 'I can still hear her laugh, it's a laugh that NO ONE, has ever come close to.'
In December 2020, King released a four-song EP titled 'Leanna' in honor of his older sister.
More recently, on April 3 (nearly five years after his sister's death), King and his fiancée, Brittany Warthan, who announced their engagement in October, welcomed their first baby.
'Welcome to the world, miss Paisley Leanna. What a joy it is to be a father!' the singer wrote in an Instagram post April 19.
The baby girl's middle name was inspired by King's late sister.
'It's only fitting to give her my sister's name on the 5th year of Leanna's passing. She has the same big bright spirit, I can already tell,' King wrote in the caption.
While talking to Us Weekly about the new baby, Warthan teased what's next for the couple.
'We already started the planning process for our wedding next year,' she told the outlet, adding that they're also looking forward to watching their little one grow up in the music industry.
'We still have all the plans to travel and show her our favorite destinations and to add to the craziness our lives hold,' Warthan continued.
