Jason Aldean honors Charlie Kirk at Detroit show as crowd erupts in cheers: ‘One of the best people ever’

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Country music star Jason Aldean paid a heartfelt tribute to Charlie Kirk during his concert in Detroit on Thursday, September 11, one day after the conservative activist was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University.

Midway through his set, Aldean paused to address the crowd, acknowledging the grief that followed Kirk’s death.

Jason Aldean condemns political violence as he honors Charlie Kirk

“An amazing person by the name of Charlie Kirk was murdered yesterday in Utah,” Jason Aldean told the audience, prompting loud cheers and applause from fans at the mention of Charlie Kirk’s name.

The singer explained that he had met Kirk several times in recent years and considered him a genuine friend. “One of the best people ever,” Aldean said. “This is not the guy you go after, is what I’m trying to say. And it’s a weird country that we live in when you start taking people out because you disagree with their opinions. That’s not what we’re about here.”

Aldean went on to recall how Kirk was one of the earliest public figures to defend his 2023 single 'Try That in a Small Town', which stirred controversy for its themes and was pulled from rotation on Country Music Television.

“I remember when we put this song out, people like Charlie Kirk were some of the first people to come up and go, ‘That’s what it’s about. This country coming together, calling out the bulls**t when we see it, trying to get everything back on track,’” Aldean said. 

He dedicated his live performance of the song to Kirk, telling the crowd, “Charlie is a guy that’s going to be very, very much missed. His legacy is going to live on forever with Turning Point (USA) and what he’s done with only 31 years on this planet, it’s amazing.”

The day after Kirk’s killing, Aldean also shared his grief on Instagram.

Posting a photo of himself and his wife, Brittany Kerr, with Kirk, he wrote, “It’s been a hard day not only in our family, but all over the country. Charlie Kirk was one of the kindest, smartest and bravest people I’ve ever met. I’m honored to have met and spoke with him on a few occasions. He was a man of peace and wanted nothing but the best for our country and its youth.”

Charlie Kirk’s final moments captured on video during Utah event

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday while hosting a campus event. A chilling video captured him being shot and his final moments as he engaged with the audience.

The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was responding to a question about mass shootings led by transgender individuals during his “Prove Me Wrong” tour stop at Utah Valley University when a gunshot rang out.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” an attendee asked. “Too many,” Kirk replied. His final words came as he sought to clarify whether “gang violence” should be included in the statistics.

Seconds later, a bullet struck his neck, sending him collapsing to the floor as panicked spectators screamed and rushed for safety.

Footage circulating online showed blood pouring from Kirk’s wound as bystanders attempted to save his life. Emergency responders quickly transported him to a nearby hospital in Orem, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival.

Kirk’s shooting death, which Utah Governor Spencer Cox called a “political assassination,” has sparked outrage across the political spectrum and intensified debates about rising political violence in America.

News of the Turning Point USA founder's death was first confirmed by President Donald Trump on Truth Social.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

The political activist leaves behind his wife, former Miss Arizona USA Erika Kirk, and their two young children.