Garth Brooks Grieves Loss of Mentor Larry Bastian as Career Pressure Mounts

Grieving Garth Brooks is mourning the death of his country music mentor and songwriting partner Larry Bastian as he continues to wrestle with a sexual assault lawsuit.

Bastian, who penned songs for legends such as Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Reba McEntire before bolstering Brooks with his tune-spinning talents, died April 6 at age 90.

A source says, “Garth is lost without him — both personally and professionally.”

Bastian took Brooks, 63, under his wing when the fledgling talent arrived in Tennessee from his native Oklahoma in the 1980s to seek stardom and supplied him with a stream of hits, including Unanswered Prayers and Rodeo.

“This was a great man… a cowboy, a poet and a true friend,” Brooks says of Bastian. “I was lucky enough to be taken in by him as a student.”

Now, a friend says Bastian’s death is taking a toll on Brooks as he battles a court case.

Last year, Brooks was hit with a suit from a woman identified in court docs only as Jane Roe, who claims Garth sexually harassed her in 2019 when she worked as his makeup artist and hairstylist.

The Friends in Low Places crooner has denied the allegations, and a insider tells GLOBE that Brooks had looked to Bastian for counsel as he grappled with the scandal.

“Larry was like a second dad to Garth, and he talked with him about the troubles he was going through,” the spy explains. “Not having him around to lend an ear any longer just guts him — and that Larry can no longer provide him with great songs to record is a big blow to Garth’s career as well.