“American Pie” singer Don McLean and country singers Lee Greenwood, Larry Gatlin, Larry Stewart and T. Graham Brownhas have cancelled their appearances at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting this weekend following the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. so far this year.
The NRA’s Grand Ole Night of Freedom is set to take place Saturday in Houston, roughly 500 kilometres east of Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 school children and two adults on Tuesday.
“I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA,” McLean said, in a statement. “I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.”
Greenwood said in a statement: "As a father, I join the rest of America in being absolutely heartbroken by the horrific event that transpired this week in Texas ... After thoughtful consideration, we have decided to cancel the appearance out of respect for those mourning the loss of those innocent children and teachers in Uvalde."
Former U.S. president Donald Trump, Texas governor Greg Abbott and Texas senator Ted Cruz are scheduled to speak at what is billed as a celebration of “firearms and the second amendment.”
On social media, music stars like Taylor Swift, Madonna and Texas native Selena Gomez have reacted to Tuesday’s mass shooting with calls for gun control.
This article has been updated since it was first published.