Willie Nelson Unveils Statue Of Himself To Celebrate 4/20

Country music legend Willie Nelson has helped the city of Austin unveil an 8-foot statue of himself on a day long reserved to celebrate marijuana use.

Nelson also sang his newsong, “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” during the ceremony Friday.

Organizers say they didn’t intentionally choose the date, but once they found out, they set the time for 4:20 p.m. as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Nelson’s openness about his marijuana use and advocacy for its legalization.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell accepted the privately funded statue, which stands in front of the Austin City Limits Studio. Fellow singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson congratulated Nelson, who thanked the Texas city as marijuana smoke wafted through the crowd.

The 10-time Grammy winner has sold more than 40 million albums.

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