All About His Son and Late Daughter

George Strait keeps his children — Jenifer and George “Bubba” Strait Jr. — close to his heart.

After the country music star and his wife, Norma Strait, eloped in 1971, they immediately started a family. George and Norma welcomed their daughter Jenifer in 1972 and their son Bubba followed in 1981. Sadly, Jenifer died at the age of 13 in a car accident in San Marcos, Texas.

Though he didn’t withdraw from the public eye, George chose not to give interviews for years following the death of his daughter. “I just kind of shut down,” George told The New Yorker in 2017. “I just didn’t feel like talking about it, so I quit doing interviews.”

His musical output remained prolific, however, and the country music star would go on to co-write with his son. Much like his dad, Bubba loves the rodeo and became a professional roper after graduating from Texas A&M University. When he retired from roping, he stayed in a different family business: music.

Bubba has co-written a number of songs with his father, including the hits “Here For a Good Time,” “Living For the Night” and “Let It Go.”

“I’m so proud he took an interest in the music business,” George told USA Today of his son in 2015. “For the longest time, he didn’t. His focus was rodeo. That’s all he wanted to do. Once he decided to move on, he decided to get into music. He took it pretty seriously and pushed me back into writing songs as well.”

Bubba and the entire Strait family have long supported “The King of Country.” In a memorable moment, he joined his dad onstage during the last stop of George’s final tour, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, in 2014. George and Bubba performed their duet, “Arkansas Dave,” which the younger Strait penned alongside his father.

Here’s everything to know about George Strait’s children: Jenifer and George “Bubba” Strait Jr.

Jenifer Lyn Strait

George and Norma welcomed their first child, Jenifer Lyn Strait, on Oct. 6, 1972.

A handful of years after the “Unwound” vocalist first soared to fame, Jenifer died at the age of 13 in a car accident on June 25, 1986. According to United Press International, she was in a speeding vehicle that flipped when it tried to make a turn, and she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Though George kept working and putting out music after Jenifer’s death, he avoided speaking to reporters for years. Still, he mentioned his older child while sharing a list of blessings with PEOPLE in 2012.

“We were blessed to have been able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer,” he shared.

Her memory lives on through George’s work: While he hasn’t confirmed that his 1988 No. 1 hit song “Baby Blue” honors his late daughter, he revealed that his 2005 tune “You’ll Be There” reminded him of Jenifer.

“I’m a religious person,” he told Shreveport Times in 2007. “I honestly believe we will see each other in heaven someday. I wanted to do the song badly.”

He continued, “The writer, Cory Mayo, held that song out because he knew I wanted to do it, and he waited until I had the chance. It was kind of him to do that.”

George started the nonprofit Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation in 1987. According to 101.5 KNUE Country Radio, the foundation is funded through private donations from the family’s friends and fans and the proceeds go toward local children’s charities in San Antonio.

George Strait Jr.

Known by his nickname, Bubba, George Strait Jr. was born on May 14, 1981.

After starting a competitive rodeo career while attending Texas A&M University, he became a roper with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, according to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Bubba went on to participate in several events, including the 2004 22nd Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic. He roped for a few years until he nearly severed his index finger when it got caught in “a wayward loop,” according to The New Yorker.

A love of rodeo runs deep in the Strait family: George ran the aforementioned Team Roping Classic for 35 seasons, ending the annual event in 2017. Over a decade earlier, he told The Team Roping Journal that team roping was his passion, and his biggest accomplishment in the sport was “winning” with his son.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world to watch my son win a roping, or even to just watch him compete. I’m sure I’m way more nervous than he is when I’m just watching,” George said. “Bubba and I have been fortunate to win a couple of buckles together, and that, my friends, is the ultimate.”

Though he has stayed out of the spotlight, Bubba is also in the music business. A young Bubba’s voice can be heard on “Heartland,” the opening song from George’s 1992 movie Pure Country, and as an adult, he’s co-written songs with his father, including “Living For the Night” and “Out of Sight, Out of Mind,” both part of 2009’s Twang.

Bubba co-wrote songs on George’s next four studio albums as well: 2011’s Here For a Good Time, 2013’s Love Is Everything, 2015’s Cold Beer Conversation, and 2019’s Honky Tonk Time Machine.

“Bubba really got me back into writing. That’s been a great experience for me, to be able to watch him grow and blossom as a songwriter,” George told PEOPLE. “He’s lovin’ it, he plays guitar and he’s doing really well. It’s been such a blessing to work with him at this stage of my career.”

In 2014, Bubba joined his father on stage in Arlington, Texas, for a performance during the last stop of George’s two-year The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. The father-son duo sang “Arkansas Dave,” a song Bubba penned solo. George retired from touring after the show, which was filmed for CMT’s George Strait: The Cowboy Rides Away live concert special.

The younger Strait has also accompanied his dad to red carpet events, including the 2007 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony, the 44th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards’ Artist of the Decade event in 2009, where George was honored, and the 50th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards in Nashville in 2012.

Bubba does not have a social media presence, but his wife, realtor Tamara Strait, often shares photos of the pair on Instagram. The two have been together since meeting in 2005 at a San Antonio Spurs game, where Tamara was a Silver Dancer, according to a bio.

Bubba and Tamara got engaged in 2010 and married later that December. They share two children, George “Harvey” Strait III, born in 2012, and Jilliann Louise Strait, born in 2016.

“Marriage is the hardest job (right before parenting) I have ever had. It’s not always easy,” Tamara wrote on Instagram in 2023. “But I am the luckiest girl to have a husband who loves me regardless of how crazy I am … who supports me in my job and more importantly, grows in faith along side of me.”

Harvey joined his grandfather on stage at the 2019 Houston Rodeo Show — the pair sang George’s song “God and Country Music” together — and both of Bubba’s kids, along with Tamara and Norma, attended Game 6 of the 2022 World Series. George wore a Houston Astros hat and jersey as he made the “play ball” call with Harvey by his side.

“My grandson played drums for a while and will probably go back to it at some point, but right now it’s baseball for him plus hunting and fishing,” George told Cowboys & Indians in 2022. “I’ve heard a little singing from time to time from my granddaughter. She sounded pretty good. It’s way too early to predict something like that, but I’ll encourage them in whatever it is they decide to do.”

Bubba still lives in the Lone Star State, residing with his family in the San Antonio area.