Boot Maker To The Presidents And Stars Dies At 79

HOUSTON, TX — Rocky Carroll, who died on Wednesday, created works of art for stars and occupants of the Oval Office, as well as "regular" folks, all of whom were passionate about the boots made by the master artisan.

"I try to build your personality into your boot," he told the National Post in 2016. "I love it," he added. "I like to make something nobody can do."

Carroll, who was 79, grew unresponsive around 11 a.m. on Wednesday at his store after complaining of tiredness earlier in the day. His death was confirmed by his sister, Sherry Carroll, in an email to the Houston Chronicle.

Here are just a few of the people who own Carroll's boots: Jimmy Carter, Queen Elizabeth II, George W. Bush — who put his on for the first time immediately following a jog, pairing them with his running shorts — Vladimir Putin, Elizabeth Taylor (hers sported 9 carats of diamonds and cost $40,000), Willie Nelson, Princess Diana, and Dolly Parton.

R.J.'s Boot Company, the place in which the magic happened, is housed in an unremarkable building on a normal Houston street, but that street has on several occasions been closed to traffic by the U.S. Secret Service so that a president could be fitted for his boots, all of which were made by hand.

Rocky Carroll flew on Air Force One, and has mingled with celebrities and heads of state, but remained a plainspoken, straightforward boot maker to the end. "I don’t even advertise,” he told the National Post writer.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library's Twitter account bade farewell to Carroll in a tweet on Thursday.

"It was very unexpected," Sherry Carroll told the Chronicle. "He was 79 and I'm sure that natural causes will be the factor. He did not have any medical issues that we were aware of."

Funeral services have not been finalized.

— Image: Rocky Carroll (R.J.'s Boot Company)

» Read the National Post article here