Jason Aldean is mourning more than just the loss of a dear friend, he's also mourning the loss of the man who may have saved his life.
On Aug. 25 the country singer publicly paid tribute to his longtime security guard Ryan Fleming — Ryan was the person who pulled Jason off the stage when a gunman opened fire during a Las Vegas concert in 2017.
Still the biggest mass shooting in United States history, 58 people lost their lives that day and over 800 more were injured. Jason could have been one of those victims if not for Ryan.
"Man this is a hard post to write. We lost one of our boys today," Jason, 44, emotionally captioned a series of images. "Ryan Fleming aka @rhinolin3 was a friend I grew up with in Georgia."
Friends for over 25 years, Ryan was a bouncer at a bar in Macon, Georgia. He then worked for the Sheriff's Department.
"When it came time for me to hire a security guy that I knew would always look out for me and my family, There was no question for me that person was Rhino," Jason wrote on Instagram. "He came out and traveled the world with us and for years if u saw me, Rhino wasn't too far away."
That was very evident on Oct. 1, 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, which was outdoors. Jason was just a few songs into his set when a man perched atop an adjacent hotel began firing at the crowd of 22,000.
"[Ryan] was the person who pulled me offstage during the Route 91 shooting and put his life in danger to take care of me and my crew," Jason wrote. "He was a good man and an even better friend."
He added, "We will all miss you brother and thank you for having my back all these years. We love ya Rhino! RIP"
After Jason's post, many fellow country singers expressed their condolences and told their own stories about Ryan.
Luke Bryan said he was "praying" for Ryan's family, and Morgan Wallen called it "awful news." Kane Brown commented, "My favorite time with him was when he would ride my bus and drink A whole 24 pack to his self… the window was lined with empty cans."
As friends and family showered Jason and Ryan's family with support, the "Dirt Road Anthem" singer shared another post of his late bodyguard watching over him during a concert.
"Thank you Rhino!" Jason wrote. "See ya down the road one day bro. RIP."