Gilley’s Sings Swan Song--Country-Style

HOUSTON —  Gilley’s, the country-Western nightclub made famous in the movie “Urban Cowboy,” has closed its doors, perhaps for good.

A spokeswoman for singer Mickey Gilley, the club’s namesake and former star attraction, said no tears are being shed.

“This is something we’re all happy about. Frankly, this mess has been going on a long time, and we’re all rather relieved something was finally done,” the spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified, said Friday.

Gilley was performing in Canada and could not be reached for comment, the spokeswoman said.

The club was shut down Thursday night on orders from a state district judge, capping a long legal dispute between Gilley and his former partner, Sherwood Cryer.

Last summer Gilley won a $17-million lawsuit against Cryer in which he claimed that he had not received all the money due him from club revenues.

Cryer, who ran the club from the day it opened in 1972 until its closing Thursday, also was ordered to remove Gilley’s name from the club, but he refused while the suit was appealed.

Gilley’s, known for its huge dance floor and mechanical bucking bull, was used as the location for “Urban Cowboy,” a 1980 film starring John Travolta.