Rodeo legend Roy Cooper died in a Texas house fire earlier this week. He was 69.
“It is with great sadness that our family shares the passing of our Dad, The Super Looper, Roy Cooper,” Tuf Cooper, Roy’s youngest son as well as a 4x World Champion Cowboy, wrote in a Facebook statement. “We’re all in shock and at a loss for words from this tragedy at the moment.”
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) also confirmed the sad news.
Local authorities responded to a call about the fire around 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday, April 29, fire officials confirmed in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Cooper’s body was found inside about 30 minutes later.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
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According to the PRCA, Cooper’s roping skills earned him the nickname “Super Looper” and he was inducted into the inaugural class of the PRORODEO Hall of Fame in 1979.
During a recent appearance on Ty Harris’ Lets Freakin’ Rodeo podcast, the legendary cowboy reflected on the origin of the moniker, the PRCA shared in their tribute.
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“In Oklahoma City at the Finals a guy from Sports Illustrated hung it on me,” Cooper said. “I don’t know if I’m Super Looper. I’m just Roy. I’m not one to brag on myself and there are so many good ropers today. You can’t compare me to Toots Mansfield or Dean Oliver because we were in different eras. I had my time for 10 years there.”
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In 1983, Cooper won the PRCA All-Around World Title and became one of 10 people to ever secure rodeo’s elusive Triple Crown: three world titles in the same year.
Decades later, he spoke to PRORODEO Sports News in March 2023 about the special buckle, saying, “It’s the only one I wear. Since I won it, I’ve never taken it off.”
However, he admitted there’s one person he would let wear his prized possession. “Actually, I would give it to George Strait if he would wear it. I would because he’s one of my very best friends,” he said.
The country star expressed his condolences on X, writing, “We lost our good friend and my hero Roy Cooper yesterday. He’s with our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ now. God please be with the Cooper family and friends. We’ll miss you amigo. I’ll come find you one day.”
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Cooper was also remembered in a tribute from the National Cowboy Museum, which remembered him as “a true game-changer in tie-down roping, from his rookie year in 1976, when he won his first world title, to becoming the first cowboy to earn $2 million in ProRodeo history.”
The museum added that Cooper will be honored with the Ty Murray Top Hand Award at this year’s PBR Heroes & Legends event in July.
They added, “Our thoughts are with the Cooper family and the entire rodeo community.”
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