Billy Ray Cyrus Performs at Memorial for Trooper Hayden Phillips

Musician Billy Ray Cyrus performed his 1992 song “Some Gave All” during a memorial service in Kentucky for fallen Kentucky State Trooper Hayden Phillips, americaningsongwriter.com reported.

A State Mourns Fallen Trooper Hayden Phillips

The service took place on Sunday on the campus at Western Kentucky University, honoring the trooper who was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop.

Trooper Hayden Phillips was fatally shot on Monday, September 28, after pulling over 51-year-old Emonnie Branch near Smiths Grove, Kentucky, for an expired temporary tag. Branch pulled a gun, shot Phillips, and drove away before being tracked down and taken into custody in Louisville, Kentucky. Branch had an extensive criminal history and was on probation at the time of the shooting. Phillips died just two days before his 29th birthday.

Family and Leaders Gather at Western Kentucky University

Family members and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear attended Sunday’s service. KSP Captain Jeremy Smith read a letter written by Phillips’ wife during the memorial.

“He was our protector. He was our teacher. He was our laughter. He was our home,” the letter stated, according to WLKY News. “And although the state police watch he carried is now over, the legacy of that watch will never end because Hayden’s watch over his boys and I will continue.”

Billy Ray Cyrus Delivers Tribute Performance

Following the tributes, Cyrus delivered a performance of “Some Gave All,” the title track from his 1992 album, which he wrote as an ode to those who have served for the United States.

Reflecting on the Purpose of ‘Some Gave All’

Cyrus, a Kentucky native, previously told Rolling Stone in 2019 that the song is kind of the reason he makes music. “If I had only written and recorded that one song, I think that was and is my purpose,” Cyrus said in the 2019 interview. “Some Gave All has run a very special course through the line of our military.”

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