Parker McCollum honored his late friend Haley Houston Odlozil in a special way over the weekend, using his show in Woodlands, Texas to help out her family. Haley passed away in July from Stage IIIC Ovarian Cancer, and McCollum sold t-shirts during the show with proceeds going to her family, including her husband, Taylor, and their 5-year-old son, Weston.
During his concert, McCollum paid tribute to Haley, calling her an “unbelievable human being” while speaking to the crowd.
“She passed away earlier this year while we were on tour in California after a decade-long battle with cancer,” he said. “I had known her for a long time, she was a good friend of mine, and her family and I have known each other forever. They came to the show tonight, we had them out tonight and are really grateful that the Odlozils and the Houstons took time to come out to the show and celebrate a night of normalcy, hopefully, for them.”
Selling T-Shirt In Honor Of Haley
He then gave a shoutout to Haley’s husband, Taylor Odlozil, explaining that they had discussed creating a shirt in memory of Haley. Holding one of those shirts up to show the crowd, the singer shared that the shirts were available for purchase at the venue and that all proceeds will go to Haley’s family and a foundation attempting to find a cure for cancer.
The t-shirts feature a photo of the singer with Haley, Taylor and Weston taken at the Houston Rodeo earlier this year. In a reference to Haley’s Instagram handle, @fromfightingtothriving, the shirts read, “From fighting to thriving, in memory of Haley Houston Odlozil.”
The t-shirts are still for sale on McCollum’s website and are available for pre-order for $35.
Dedicated Performance Of “Things I Never Told You” To Late Friend Haley
McCollum concluded by dedicating his performance of his song “Things I Never Told You” to Haley. “Maybe she’s somewhere tonight and she can hear it,” he said.
Taylor posted a video of McCollum’s speech on Instagram, writing, “The @parkermccollum concert was so much fun! It was an amazing night for our whole family. I’m so grateful Parker and his team wanted to sell shirts in Haley’s memory for Weston’s college fund. His shout-out was very touching and made me realize just how many people loved Haley.”
He also thanked everyone who purchased a shirt, writing, “It means so much to me, Weston, and our family.”
Remembering Haley Houston Odlozil
After Haley’s death, McCollum shared an Instagram post remembering her, posting the same photo that appears on the t-shirts as well as an image of himself and Haley from their time in school together, all dressed up for a dance.
“Woke up to the worst news yesterday,” his message began. “My long time friend Haley has passed away. She had been battling cancer for almost a decade now. So many people have followed her journey through social media and I want them all to know that the girl they knew from TikTok and Instagram really was already an Angel here on earth. Such a wonderful human being even during the hardest days anyone could ever endure.”
McCollum shared that Haley was “one of the first friends I made when I moved to The Woodlands and didn’t know a single person.”
“She was on my mind the entire show last night in Alabama,” he continued. “I know she is pain free now and she will be missed dearly! Please pray for her family in the coming months! I know I will be! RIP my sweet sweet friend!”
Parker McCollum Met His Late Friend Haley In 7th Grade
Haley and McCollum met in the 7th grade and stayed friends throughout McCollum’s success, which allowed him to help Haley and Taylor give Weston his first concert experience at the rodeo in February.
Haley had posted a slideshow of photos from the day, writing, “So much fun at the Rodeo seeing @parkermccollum not only was I able to take Weston to his first concert but also his first Rodeo!! He absolutely loved it!! Thank you! @parkermccollum @bebeyancey for helping us make this core memory!”
To read more about Haley’s story, click HERE.
