“Willie Nelson Breaks the Internet with Heartfelt Tribute to His Oldest Friend, Leaving Fans in Tears as He Shares Rare, Emotional Moment from His Private Life—A True Testament to Friendship That Will Touch Your Soul!”

Willie Nelson posts touching tribute to his oldest friend

“I’ll always pick you.”

Willie Nelson performs with Trigger during the Farm Aid Music Festival at the Ruoff Music Center on September 23, 2023 in Noblesville, Indiana.

SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images

Willie Nelson was recently forced to cancel a tour stop due to windstorms that ravaged Oklahoma on July 1, damaging tour equipment and causing concern among fans. After experiencing a musician’s worst nightmare, Nelson has taken stock of the important things in life, paying homage to one of his oldest friends: his guitar, Trigger.

After nearly six decades, Trigger is still by Nelson’s side. The country star (or his team, presumably) recently used a TikTok trend to pay homage to one of Nelson’s longest-lasting relationships that’s still going strong to this day.

“I’ll always pick you, Trigger,” the post’s caption reads.

The video, using the trending style of couples revealing how long they have been an item, asks with text over a picture of Nelson and his guitar, “How many months have you been together?” with the next slide asking “Months?” followed by a countdown of decades of photos starting from 2025.

“The stories that guitar could tell if it could…” one commenter said, speaking to the incredible journey the guitar has been on since Nelson got his hands on it.

Nelson acquired Trigger, an old Martin guitar, in 1969. Nelson was playing a show at the John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes, Texas, and needed a replacement after a drunk fan destroyed his guitar. Nelson was given a choice after his friend, Shot Jackson, came to the conclusion that the damage to his old guitar was irreparable.

After his old guitar bit the dust, Nelson was looking for an instrument that would allow him to sound more like his greatest musical inspiration, Django Reinhardt. Nelson found a beautiful Martin guitar nearby on sale for $750 (about $5,500 today), and named it after Roy Rogers’ famed horse. It was a steep price, but well worth it for the country icon.

The relationship almost ended in tragedy as quickly as it started, as Nelson’s home caught fire in December of the year he bought the guitar. “Well, I saved Trigger, so it was a good day,” Nelson said in a Rolling Stone documentary about Trigger.

The guitar has undergone significant changes over the years. A huge hole has developed on the bridge of the guitar after wear and tear from Nelson’s performing thousands of shows. Several musicians, including Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and Roger Miller, have signed Trigger, adding to the guitar’s fame and mystique.

When Nelson was forced to cancel his Oklahoma show in early July, announcing that equipment for the tour was damaged and had to be replaced, many fans were worried that Trigger was a casualty of the windstorms.

Nelson addressed the concerns in his statement regarding the canceled show and lost equipment, writing in the caption, “Trigger is marked SAFE from the damage suffered to other instruments and equipment in the MO storm.”

The 92-year-old Texas legend is still going strong, continuing his Outlaw Country tour and showing no signs of slowing down.