In memoriam. The guys of Backroad Anthem paid tribute to their late bandmate, Craig Strickland, by posting the music video for their song “Torn” on Facebook on Tuesday, January 5.
“Last year we shot a music video for our song, Torn,” a post on the band’s official Facebook page read. “We wanted to finally release the video and share with everyone so you could have a chance to see Craig doing what he loved. We are so proud of how it turned out, and we know Craig was too.”
In the three-and-a-half minute video, Strickland can be seen belting out the lyrics alongside his country rocker pals in a bright red T-shirt, dark jeans and a black wristband.
The other members of the band include Toby Freeman (lead vocals/electric guitar), Eric Dysart (fiddle), Josh Bryant (lead electric guitar), Brandon Robold (bass guitar/vocals) and Isaac Senty (drums). Strickland was the lead vocalist and played acoustic guitar.
Strickland was found dead just one day earlier, on Monday, January 4, by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer, just a quarter of a mile north of where his friend Chase Morland was found dead on December 28.
The pair braved winter storm Goliath on December 26 to embark on a duck hunting trip that went awry.
In a statement released to Us Weekly, officials noted that Strickland’s camouflage duck-hunting gear made it especially difficult for searchers to locate his body.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined.
On Monday, Strickland’s widow, Helen, shared an Instagram post with details of the country singer’s death.
“Craig was found today,” she wrote. “We can finally rest knowing that he is at Home in Heaven with his Father. The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in. He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his Father.”
