See Glen Campbell’s Daughter Ashley’s Poignant Tribute to Her Late Dad
Ashley Campbell is not only the youngest of Glen Campbell‘s eight children, she was a member of his touring band when the legendary musician went on the road with his Goodbye Tour following his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. As the world bids a final goodbye to Glen Campbell, who died earlier today at age 81, Ashley shared a touching Twitter image of her hand locked in her father’s, writing: “Heartbroken. I owe him everything I am, and everything I ever will be. He will be remembered so well and with so much love.”
Ashley, who released her debut single “Remembering” in 2015, wrote the song with Kai Welch as a tribute to the man who, apart from entertaining for decades with such songs as “Gentle on My Mind” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” instilled in her the same kind of respect he had for his legions of fans worldwide. “He wouldn’t have a career if people weren’t fans of his. It’s all about the listener. He always gives a lot of props to his fans, so I try to take after him in that respect,” she told Rolling Stone Country at the time she released “Remembering.” “Fans give love and love gets shared. Love was meant to be shared.”
In May, Ashley recalled a recent visit with her dad at the facility where he was receiving care, telling Rolling Stone Country, “We were sitting at dinner, and he used to do this joking thing where he would threaten to stab you with a fork and then laugh. So he did it again. He knocked a piece of food off his plate and I reached to put it back, and he turns on me with the fork and goes, ‘Haha!’ It was so funny. Little glimpses of him will come back every now and then, and it just makes me so happy.
“It could be confusion and anger a lot of the time, which is the case for a lot of people I’ve seen,” she added. “But for him he’s just happy every day, smiles, he enjoys life and he enjoys being around people – and he loves a good piece of cake.”
Heartbroken. I owe him everything I am, and everything I ever will be. He will be remembered so well and with so much love. pic.twitter.com/1Z8mm8Jzth
— Ashley Campbell (@ashcambanjo) August 8, 2017
Watch below: Glen Campbell’s 20 essential songs, from “Rhinestone Cowboy” to his cover of Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These.”