Story by Karen Cotton
We lost Chris LeDoux 21 years ago today. LeDoux went from being a bareback rodeo legend, who often competed in the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo, to gracing the stage at CFD as a country act multiple times. Often known as Wyoming’s son, LeDoux, was also a Grammy nominee and bronze sculptor. The world lost him when he passed away in 2005, on March 9th in Casper, Wyoming, after fighting a hard brave battle with a rare cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma, which is a rare, aggressive cancer of the bile ducts, according to Wikepedia.
Below is an official photo of LeDoux from his official Facebook page
I was fortunate enough to interview Chris and you can hear that phone interview at the PRCA Hall of Fame, which had an exhibit of LeDoux on display. Or in Laramie, Wyoming at the University of Wyoming American Heritage Center in the Karen Cotton papers.
The PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame museum will be moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where our magazine is based, by 2029.
Here is a link to that story by 9News in Denver, Colorado:
Chris’ website is :
Ned LeDoux, one of Chris’ sons, carries on his father’s music legacy. He performs many of his father’s hits as well as his own hit songs. He often comes to Cheyenne and has also performed at CFD multiple times.
For Ned LeDoux’s online information about upcoming tour stops go to:
PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame website:
https://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/
University of Wyoming American Heritage Center:
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum also has a number of Chris’ ticket stubs from his shows at CFD and press photos from my days as a reporter at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. I believe they also had a signed guitar that Chris signed backstage, which is something artists often do when they perform at CFD. The guitar was on display at one point. I believe he was also inducted into the CFD Old West Museum’s Hall of Fame and will confirm that soon.
You can find out more about the CFD Old West Museum and LeDoux’s legacy here:
Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 
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