Darius Rucker has taken to social media to share a heartfelt tribute to his long-time friend and bodyguard, Eugene ‘Buddy’ Wright, who has passed away at the age of 66.

Buddy was the assigned bodyguard during Rucker's time in Hootie & The Blowfish, with Buddy remaining with the ‘Wagon Wheel’ hitmaker throughout his solo career. Buddy has been Rucker's bodyguard for over 30 years, with numerous fans sharing their own experiences meeting Buddy at Rucker's shows in the comments. Buddy had reportedly been battling cancer for the best part of a decade.

Rucker has underlined how, over the course of their time together, Buddy became so much more than a bodyguard, “Buddy was my friend, my brother, my bodyguard, my best friend, and when I needed him to be, he was my therapist. I love u Buddy”.

Rucker concludes his touching homage with a simple dedication to Buddy, sharing, “Thank u for changing my life”. Fans have been echoing Rucker's sentiments, with many sharing that whenever they came across Buddy, he was always incredibly kind.

One outlines, “I enjoyed getting to know Buddy all of those years he attended the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. He will be missed. RIP”, with another adding, “So gutted to see this. Buddy was such a lovely guy with an infectious smile and a great presence”.

Despite calling London, UK home for the past year or so, Rucker is currently preparing for a run of shows Stateside, including a performance at the Grand Ole Opry on September 22nd, and a show with his Hootie & The Blowfish crew at Bourbon & Beyond later that week. In October, Rucker headlines his yearly Riverfront Revival festival in his home-state of Charleston, South Carolina, featuring sets from Gavin Adcock, Charles Wesley Godwin, BigXthaPlug, Old Dominion and more.