Luke Bryan Shares Heartwarming Moment Backstage in Denver With Young Cancer Patient

Author KC Atkins

August 2nd, 2023 5:20 PM

Luke Bryan has always gone above and beyond for fans, but this example was extra special.

Major props to Luke Bryan and an anonymous good Samaritan for making a magical moment with a young cancer patient in Denver, happen. During a recent show, Luke learned that one of his biggest fans, seven-year-old Mary Stegmueller, would be in attendance. Mary has been battling brain cancer since the age of four and has always loved Luke’s music for as long as she can remember. When the country star heard Mary was there at the show, he invited her entire family backstage so they could all hang out and take pictures.

This actually wasn’t the first time Mary and Luke had crossed paths. Mary and her mother, Kristin, got to meet Luke back in 2021 during a meet-and-greet where he gave Mary a quick hug. In an interview with Fox 31 News, Kristin talks about how much that moment meant to her daughter. “Now she feels they’re BFFs, and she’s like ‘I want to see him, but he also needs to come see me.’” Luke had also sent Mary a special video message to her this past Christmas, which Kristin said was Mary’s favorite gift she received that day.

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A post shared by Kristin Stegmueller (@kalyses1985)

Kristin had hopes of taking Mary to Luke Bryan’s Denver show over the weekend, but was doubtful they could make it due to Mary’s immunocompromised state and inability to stand for long periods of time. “I knew it wasn’t going to happen, but I was just praying that it would because I knew she really, really wanted to go.” However, it’s clear that someone out there was moved by Mary’s story. The Stegmuellers were shocked to learn that an anonymous donor had bought out an entire suite at the stadium so Mary could enjoy the concert in relative comfort.

That alone would be enough to warm the heart, but Luke Bryan took it one step further. After the show, Luke invited the Stegmueller clan backstage where he and Mary were finally able to sit down for a nice chat and become besties. Luke even took a few selfies with Mary and her family as they enjoyed their time together.

Thank you everyone who shared and helped to make this such a special night for her! #MaryStrong
Posted by Kristin Stegmueller on Sunday, July 30, 2023

No child should ever have to endure something as awful and painful as cancer. Mary recently began her 43rd round of radiation this week, and has a tough battle to fight even still. But she remains in high spirits and is still beaming from her encounter with her all-time favorite country singer. I have the utmost respect for Luke Bryan, along with the anonymous donor who made the meet-up even possible for this young cancer patient. Anyone who goes out of their way to make a sick child’s life just a little brighter is a-ok in my book.

Mary’s family is posting updates on her battle with cancer and accepting donations here.

KC is bringing you the Workday Wind Down, afternoons on KML. He’s a Carolina boy making Carolina noise! When he's not slinging music and mouth sounds on the BIG 95.7 WKML, you can catch him at the gym, live wrestling shows, open mics, or wherever fine pasta is sold. KC is a big fan of self-expression, as his many tattoos will show you. KC's favorite pastime is making others laugh. In his mind, if he can bring a smile to your face then it's a day well spent. KC likes to write about TV and film, especially Spider-Man, and Fayetteville happenings.

10 Top Country Duets From The 2010s Ranked

Country music has seen its fair share of powerful duets; in the 2010s, many duets rose to the top. It was a decade that began with Brad Paisley as the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year and Taylor Swift getting the same honor for the Academy of Country Music. The decade also saw the first-time Entertainer win for Blake Shelton (CMA 2012) and the last CMA Entertainer wins for Garth Brooks (2016,2017, 2019), who pulled out of the running in the 2020s.

Duets in country music have been a thing since the beginning of the genre in the 1930s. Over the decades, we’ve seen unforgettable duets from Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner in the 1960s, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty in the 1970s, to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The last duet to win a Grammy in country music was Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl.”

Many of the songs on our top ten list of duets in the 2010s include “Musical Event” winners for both the CMA and ACMs and even a Grammy Award-winning duet.

We look back on the 2010s decade in country music and rank what we believe are the top ten duets of the era.

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10 - "Don't You Wanna Stay" - (2011)
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson – Jason said of his duet with Kelly Clarkson, who was his first choice for the song, “I love her voice. And I love her style. Long story short, we got her a copy of the song, and she loved it. As soon as she started singing, it became obvious it was going to be great.”
9 - "Raise 'Em Up" (2015)
Keith Urban featuring Eric Church – The song was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Keith said of the song, “There’s so much imagery in the song, and it’s written in such a way that you can fill in all the blanks. I love that kind of style of songwriting.”
8 - "Dive Bar" - (2019) Garth Brooks & Blake Shelton
Garth Brooks & Blake Shelton – Garth announced a promotional concert tour supporting the single when this song was released. “The Dive Bar Tour” features Brooks visiting seven dive bars throughout the United States.

The Official Dive Bar Music Video
The World Premiere of the Garth Brooks & Blake Shelton Dive Bar Music Video
Posted by Garth Brooks on Friday, November 1, 2019
7 - "You and Tequila" (2011) - Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
This song, which is a remake of a song Kenny first heard when he toured in the 1990s with Deana Carter, received two nominations in the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
6 - "Hillbilly Bone" - (2010) Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
When Blake first heard this song demo, he thought it sounded “like something Trace Adkins would cut” and asked producer Scott Hendricks to bring Adkins in to sing it as a duet.
5- "Somethin' Bad" - (2014) Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood
This song allowed everyone to see multiple award show performances from these two superstars together. Miranda said she had wanted to do a duet with Carrie Underwood, noting, “It’s been too long since two girls in our genre have come together like that, especially on a song that’s kind of in your face.”
4 - "Different For Girls" - (2016) Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King
This fabulous song is the one that brought Elle King into country music. It is a CMA-winning song (for Musical Event) and was also nominated for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
3 - "Old Town Road" - (2019) Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
This catchy song won numerous awards, including Grammy and a CMA for Musical Event. It has sold over 18 million records worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles ever.
2 - "Highway Don't Care" (2013) - Tim McGraw with Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
This song won the Musical Event of the Year at the CMA Awards in 2013. It was a shoo-in with Taylor, Tim, and guitar work from Keith Urban. It’s an instant classic.
1 - "The Fighter" (2016) - Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood
You know when you put five or ten songs in a “Favorites” playlist that are your all-time faves, and you listen to them when time gets tough, and you need to smile? This is one of those songs for me. I don’t know exactly what it is that makes me love it so much; maybe it’s their voices blending or the song’s sweet message. This song will top my songs list for a long time to come. I can’t not smile when I hear it. It reminds me of the pure joy that music can give.