ABC/Image Group LAEven as Brad Paisley’s family deals with the passing of wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s mother, he honored his commitment to appear at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Thursday night. Kim and sons Huck and Jasper were there to cheer Brad on as he spoke at the opening of his Diary of a Player exhibit, and even in what must be difficult times, Brad’s well-known sense of humor remained intact.
“I was like, ‘Who’s this Brad Paisley guy? When did he die?’” he joked, as the audience roared. “That was what it felt like looking at the exhibit the first time. It’s like, ‘Well, we’re gonna miss him!’”
As Brad stood in the Hall’s rotunda, surrounded by bronze plaques that pay tribute to his heroes, he was also thinking about his own legacy.
“The friendships with Jimmy Dickens and Bill Anderson and George Jones and Buck Owens — and the list goes on and on. You know, Steve Wariner, Vince Gill. I didn’t just get to meet these guys, I got to create with them over the years. What I hope is that some kid walks through this display and thinks to themselves, ‘I can do that.’ And not only that, but ‘Someday, I’m gonna take that guy and I’m gonna dress him in like, funny clothes and make him do a bit on the CMA Awards!’” he closed, as laughter rang through the Hall once again.
Brad’s exhibit officially opens to the public on Friday, and runs through May of next year.
His wife Kimberly’s mother, Linda Payne Williams, passed away Wednesday at the age of 73, after a long battle with dementia.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
