John Rich Kicked Off Plane, Country Singer Too Drunk On Morning Flight
Big & Rich country singer John Rich was removed from a flight yesterday that was about to take off from Las Vegas after he was deemed too intoxicated to fly.
Apparently, Rich was already getting into arguments with other passengers even before he boarded the flight that would have taken him to Nashville. Although it was only 10:50 a.m., the singer appeared drunk and continued exhibiting such behavior as he boarded the airplane, shared TMZ.
Once inside the main cabin, flight attendants who explained to him confronted the singer. After they requested that he leave the plane, Rich got up without much fuss and exited the airplane without any further arguments.
Sources shared with the media agency that the air carrier, Southwest, confirmed the incident occurred, but were reluctant to release the star’s name.
"Our crew assessed the situation and determined that the passenger was not fit for travel under governing federal aviation regulations," revealed a representative from the airline.
The situation dissolved as Southwest offered to book Rich on another flight to Nashville, but the singer chose to make other arrangements instead. Still, the airline refunded his ticket and put the incident behind them.
Rich rose to fame in 2002 when he joined forces with Big Kenny to form the duo Big & Rich, and has also worked with other artists, such as Jewel, Keith Anderson, Faith Hill and Gretchen Wilson.
A number of his solo-singles have also been successful, including “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” in 2009. The latter focused on the big car company bailouts during the economic recession. His latest single has a Christian theme and it is called “The Good Lord and the Man.”
