YellowstoneTaylor Sheridan’s western drama series has officially come to an end with a tribute to a real-life cowboy legend.

The season five finale, which aired on Paramount Network on Sunday (December 15), was dedicated to the memory of Bob Avila. The episode began with a simple black “In Memoriam” card that read, “This episode is dedicated to Bob Avila. See you on the dusty path, amigo.”

The legendary rider previously made a brief appearance on Yellowstone as himself. In the eighth episode of the third season entitled “I Killed a Man Today”, Avila was seen in the background riding a horse and chatting with John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who was with his grandson Tate ( Brecken Merrill) was there.

Who is Bob Avila?

Avila died on November 9th at the age of 72. A member of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame with more than 37 championship titles, Avila is widely considered one of the greatest horsemen in history.

Born into an equestrian family, Avila’s father was a rodeo cowboy and horse trainer, while his mother taught riding lessons.

He lived on his family’s ranch in Temecula, California for 18 years before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he lived until his death. Over the course of his career, Avila earned $381,339.94 in National Reining Horse Association earnings and $1,113,022.09 in National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA) earnings.

Avila won the NRCHA’s coveted World’s Greatest Horseman title in both 2000 and 2007 and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2020.

As a businessman, Avila created a line of hardware and spurs through his partnership with Professional’s Choice – a leading supplier of equestrian accessories – and became a mentor to many future professional riders and fellow trainers.

He has also published several books on horse training including Be a Smart Horse Buyer: A Guide to Avoiding Common Mistakes and Finding the Right Horse for You And Win with Bob Avila: Beyond Training, Mentorship from a World Champion Rider.

Avila died while competing in the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships in November. Shortly after, AQHA posted a tribute to Avila on its Instagram, writing: “The AQHA family has lost a legend. Bob Avila, AQHA Professional Horseman and member of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, passed away today at the age of 72.

“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Dana, his son BJ Avila and the rest of the Avila family and their extended AQHA family.”

His cause of death has not been publicly announced.

Yellowstonewhich first hit screens in 2018, ended on Sunday with a finale that left viewers divided and wondering whether the show will continue in a new form.

*Warning – spoilers ahead Yellowstone Season finale*

During the episode, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) put his plans into action to save the family’s historic Montana ranch by selling the property to its original owners, the Broken Rock Indigenous Tribe. Dutton sold the land for the same price his ancestors paid in 1883 – $1.25 an acre, meaning the state’s largest ranch was sold for a total of just $1.1 million.

Elsewhere, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) killed her brother Jamie (Wes Bentley) and left to start a new life on another ranch with her husband Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser).

However, many viewers were disappointed with the show’s finale. “Stupid ending,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, while another viewer added: “This was probably the worst final season in television history.”

“It’s official. game of Thrones is no longer the worst final season of a TV show ever. Yellowstone accepted this award,” said a third person. “What a disaster of a final season.”

Despite it, Yellowstone Fans shouldn’t be completely upset about the show’s ending. Last week it was reported that a deal had been struck for another spin-off, with Reilly and Hauser reprising their fan-favorite roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively.

Sheridan, the co-creator responsible for this Yellowstone and its many iterations, is reportedly “working on creative” for the new show. It is expected that other cast members from the original series will also appear in the upcoming spin-off.