George Strait Pays Tribute to Blake Shelton During ‘The Voice’ Season Finale

Blake Shelton‘s 23-season run as a coach on The Voice came to a close Tuesday (May 23) with the singing competition’s season finale on NBC.

Shelton, a coach on the show since its first season, was celebrated by several celebs, including his wife, singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani. But he also earned a special shout-out from none other than Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait, who sent in a video congratulating Shelton.

“Hey, Blake, I just want to say congratulations on the successful run you had on The Voice,” Strait said. “You really stole the show, man, you really did. So, congratulations on that and I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide to do next. I’m sure it’ll be great, whatever it is, and I’ll see you out there on the road sometime.”

Shelton responded after watching the video, saying, “That’s the true king of country right there.”

The “Minimum Wage” singer has earned the most wins of any coach on The Voice, with nine of his team members taking home victories over the years, including Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope, Jermaine Paul and Sundance Head. However, in Shelton’s final season, Team Blake wasn’t victorious; that honor went to Team Niall Horan member Gina Miles.

Reba McEntire has been named as Shelton’s replacement in the coach’s chair next season. The Voice season 24 coaches are McEntire, Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend.

Shelton recently told Entertainment Tonight that he plans to spend more time focusing on his personal life after leaving The Voice.

“I want to finally have the opportunity to say yes to more stuff in my personal life and not say, ‘Let me check,’ or just flat-out no,” the singer said.

Check out George Strait’s message to Blake Shelton below: