PUEBLO, Colo. (August 11, 2009) - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) would like to express its deepest condolences to the Jack Daniel’s family and the family of Jimmy Bedford, a longtime employee of the Jack Daniel Distillery. Bedford was a 40-year employee of the Distillery, including holding the title of Master Distiller, and a major figure in the American whiskey industry.
Bedford, 69, was found unresponsive on the morning of Friday, August 7, on his farm in Lynchburg, Tenn. He was transported to a local hospital, where was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack. Services were held on Sunday, August 9.
“Jimmy and his family loved the PBR and enjoyed tracking the progress of the four Jack Daniel’s bull riders,” said Dave Stang, Director of Events, Sponsorship and Homeplace for Jack Daniel’s. “Having been a long time farmer himself and raising cattle on his land in Lynchburg, Tenn., it gave him a much greater understanding and passion for the sport. Jimmy attended more than a handful of events around the United States and loved to go to PBR Finals in Las Vegas, Nev.”
Bedford began a successful career at the Jack Daniel Distillery in 1968. He learned his trade after working in the yeasting, fermenting, milling, and distillation areas. In 1988, he was promoted to Master Distiller for the oldest registered distillery in the United States. Bedford also served as an ambassador for the distillery, traveling around the world, talking with consumers, distributors, retailers, trade, and media. Under his watch, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey became the best-selling single label in the world with distribution increasing to more than 130 countries. Since his retirement in 2008, Bedford enjoyed working on his farm, just a mile down the road from the Distillery. He is survived by his wife, Emily; daughter, Alice; brother, Bill; sister, Sue; grandson, Wyatt; and a world of family and friends.
PBR will have a moment of silence and honor Bedford at the upcoming Jack Daniel’s Invitational where several of his family members will be in attendance including his wife, daughter, and grandson. The event will be held on August 15-16 in Nashville, Tenn., and is stop no. 25 on the PBR’s elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event.
All roads are leading to Las Vegas and you don’t want to miss out on any of the action at the 2009 Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas, Nev. The world-class event will take place on Oct. 30-Nov 1 and Nov. 5-8 at the Thomas & Mack Center---get your tickets NOW at 866.PBR.SHOW or unlvtickets.com!
About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR):
PBR attracts over 1.7 million live attendees each year with its multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. With over 450 hours of prime time programming annually and a viewership of 100 million, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air and broadcasts on FOX, NBC, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, and prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions across the five countries.
For more on the PBR, please visit www.pbrnow.com, www.teampbr.com, www.pbr.tv, myspace.com/pbr_bfts, twitter/teampbr, facebook/professionalbullriders, or www.pbrnow.com/worldfinals/.
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