Yellowstone Finale Pays Tribute to the Loss of a Real-Life Legend

Although the season finale of Yellowstone provided many long-awaited answers, including what would happen to the titular ranch around which the drama unfolds, many viewers walked away with a whole new question: Who was Bob Avila?

The question arose just before the episode began unspooling when a title card flashed on screen reading “This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila. See you down the dusty trail, Amigo.”

Bob Avila was a well-respected, legendary horseman who passed away on November 9 at the age of 72. In addition to being inducted into the National Reining Horse Association’s Hall of Fame, he was a two-time winner of the World’s Greatest Horseman title. Avila, the son of a rodeo cowboy, went on to raise and train horses, passing on everything he learned to younger generations.

Why was Avila important to Yellowstone? The show routinely incorporated real-life cowboys into its scenes. Avila made his appearance during Season Three in an episode titled “I Killed a Man Today.” This included an iconic moment where Kevin Costner’s John Dutton went horse shopping.

We ranked the all-time best Yellowstone characters. See who we put at No. 1 in the gallery below, and let us know if you agree!