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Tim McGraw paid tribute to “the patriarch of the McGraw family,” on Wednesday (July 10). The country megastar shared that Henry Thomas McGraw, known as Hank, died on Saturday (July 6). He was 81.
McGraw mourned the loss of his beloved Uncle Hank, who was McGraw’s late father Tug McGraw’s older brother. McGraw remembered Hank as “an incredible man,” who “had a way of lighting up any room he walked into without trying.” Hank was a pro baseball player for more than a decade, and sang and played guitar. He was a storyteller and a “legend,” McGraw said in his tribute on Wednesday.
“This weekend we lost the patriarch of the McGraw family. Our beloved ‘Uncle Hank,’” McGraw wrote. “He was just an incredible man. He had a way of lighting up any room he walked into without trying. He was a no-bs, straight shooter. Honest and truthful, even if it hurt. A true renaissance man, All American high school athlete, 11 years professional baseball, played guitar, sang beautifully, was an incredible leather and bead craftsman, and more than that, he was a good friend to all who knew him, and he loved with an open heart… Aw man, and he told the best stories! He was and continues to be a huge presence in the lives of our family and his friends. He was a legend and that legend will grow with each passing year in future generations of McGraws! We will keep his memories alive!! He was and continues to be a huge presence in the lives of our family and his friends. He was a legend and that legend will grow with each passing year in future generations of McGraws! We will keep his memories alive!! He loved, he was so very loved and he will be terribly missed. “
Hank’s brother and McGraw’s father, Tug, was a World Series champ who played for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies throughout his career. He died after a battle with brain cancer in 2004. He was 59. McGraw has since shared memories and stories about his late father. He shared information about his Uncle Hank’s “fascinating life,” and although he’ll stop for now, there’s “so much more to say about him.”