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Who is Billy Klapper? The Yellowstone Tribute Explained

Vaseline November 12, 2024

Yellowstone has returned to Paramount+ for the start of its final season, and the premiere included a dedication to Billy Klapper.

The return of the show, created by Taylor Sheridan, has been riddled with controversy due to the absence of lead actor Kevin Costner, who left the series amid rumors of tension behind the scenes and focused on his passion project, the film series. Horizon.

The first episode of season 5B shows a scene where Rip, played by Cole Hauser, stops by a loriner to buy a horse bit for Lloyd (Forrie J. Smith).

While at the loriner, Rip admires an impeccably crafted set of spurs made from a single piece of metal. The tracks were actually made by the late Loriner Billy Klapper, who was highly regarded within the cowboy and ranch communities for his artistry.

The loriner in the scene is none other than Klapper himself, who died earlier this year on September 10 at the age of 87. During the episode, the official said Yellowstone X/Twitter account wrote: “Billy Klapper is a LEGEND!”

Klapper started making spurs in 1966 after being trained by famed spur maker Adolph Bayers while working as a ranch hand. His craftsmanship and objects soon became sought after and he eventually took up the profession full-time.

Klapper, a native of Pampa, began working at the Buckle L Ranch in Childress and later at the Y Ranch in Paducah.

He married his wife Roberta in 1973 and the couple remained together until her death in 2021.

Billy Klapper (Western Horseman/YouTube)

His obituary read: “Billy will be remembered as a good man, a friend to all, and most of all, a true cowboy. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Billy has spent years putting the ‘Western’ into the Western heritage and now he is part of the heritage.”

Before his death, in an interview with Western horseman magazine, Klapper admitted: “It got to the point where I had so many orders that I had to quit (making bits and spurs) or give up cowboy work.

“Maybe I have to work a little harder for this, but I thought I could make more money and stay warm in the winter. I loved cowboying, but there’s no money in it, and I had a family. It’s just living from one paycheck to the next.”