Pat Green Loses Brother—Brother’s Family Missing in Kerrville Flood

News 14 Comments

Pat Green performing at the Two Step Inn Fest


The flooding around July 4th in Central Texas and the Hill Country has affected the region’s music community in significant ways, but none bigger than the loss of that Texas country artist Pat Green has suffered directly.

On Monday, July 7th, Green posted a message on social media saying, “Over the weekend, during the devastating flooding that hit Central Texas, my family – like so many others – suffered a heartbreaking and deeply personal loss. We are grieving alongside countless Texans whose lives have been upended by this tragedy. Right now, we kindly ask for privacy and space as we mourn, support each other, and begin to process what comes next for our family. Thank you for your love, prayers, and compassion.”

Though speculation ran rampant about how Green’s family might have been impacted by the flooding, on Tuesday, July 8th, Green’s wife Kori confirmed in a social media post, “We are so thankful for the outpouring of love and concern. Pat’s little brother John, his wife, Julia, and two of their children were swept away in the Kerrville flood. We are heartbroken and anxiously waiting for all of them to be found. Thank you for your prayers.”

Pat Green’s younger brother John Burgess and his wife Julia were staying at the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville with their two young sons Jack and James when the flood hit. The RV Park is located behind Howdy’s Restaurant on the banks of the Guadalupe River. This is the same RV park that Texas singer/songwriter Julia Hatfield was staying at with her husband when the flood hit.

John, wife Julia, and their two sons were staying at the RV park for the 4th of July, and in preparation of picking up their eldest daughter at a summer camp that was not affected by the flooding. The family lived in Liberty, TX, east of Houston.

According to the owner of the Blue Oak RV Park, Lorena Guillen, during the flood, John Burgess was seen clinging to a tree while holding his two sons. “My husband was in the water trying to ask them, ‘Please throw me your baby!’ The man was holding tight to his babies, and he just got swept away,” Lorena Guillen says.

According to KWTX out of Waco, John Burgess was confirmed dead on July 5th. According to KHOU out of Houston, the mother Julia Burgess, was found dead on Monday (7-7). At the time of this post, the two sons Jack and James are still missing. The daughter who was at the summer camp was unharmed.

John and Julia Burgess with their three children

John Burgess was a graduate of China Spring High School in the Waco area. Julia Burgess was a teacher at Liberty Elementary, not far from the family’s home. Neighbors have left flowers and stuffed toys in front of the home of John and Julia in Liberty as people continue to pray for a miracle that the two young boys will be found alive.

– – – – – – –

Starting out completely independent in Lubbock, TX, recording albums on his parents’ dime produced by Lloyd Maines, Pat Green became a Texas country hero and one of the very first superstars of the burgeoning subgenre during its heyday of the late 90’s. Green sold 250,000 albums without a label, and eventually signed to Universal Republic.

Pat Green’s 2003 single “Wave On Wave” reached #3 on the country charts—a remarkable feat for a Texas artist. In 2004, he was nominated for the ACM’s New Artist of the Year right beside Dierks Bentley and Josh Turner. Pat Green has since become a legend in the Texas country scene.

– – – – – –

READ: Josh Weathers Raises Over $337,000 In Livestream for Texas Floods

© 2025 Saving Country Music

,