George Strait Mourns Death of Longtime Band Member Gene Elders: ‘We Loved Him So Much’

George Strait is mourning the devastating loss of a second longtime friend and associate, just hours after posting about the death of his longtime manager.

The country legend turned to social media on Thursday morning (March 21) to share the news that his longtime Ace in the Hole Band fiddle player, Gene Elders, had died just hours after Strait lost the man who had managed him for decades.

"Hard to believe we lost two of our music family members on the same day," Strait writes on social media. "Our Ace in the Hole treasured band member Gene Elders passed away yesterday afternoon shortly after we lost Erv. All of our prayers go out to both families."

"Me and the band won’t ever be the same without our brother Gene. We loved him so much. Go play with Mike again Geno. We’ll come join you guys later."

According to Elders' official website, he had played fiddle and mandolin in Strait's band since 1984, and he also played fiddle in Lyle Lovett's Large Band for 11 years.

Strait posted on his social media accounts on Wednesday (March 20) to share the news that his longtime manager, Erv Woolsey, had died.

"My manager for around 45 years and most importantly my friend for even longer, Erv Woolsey, passed away this morning," he wrote. "He had complications from a surgery and just couldn’t overcome it. He was a very tough man, and fought hard, but sadly it was just too much. We will miss him so very much and will never forget all the time we had together. Won’t ever be the same without him.”

Woolsey also worked with artists including Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack, Clay Walker and Ronnie Milsap over his long career.