CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory weighed in on the death of iconic evangelist Billy Graham Wednesday, sharing several tales about how he came to know Graham.
Between segments of his morning radio show in Charlotte, McCrory became emotional as he spoke highly of Graham’s legacy.
McCrory said he met Graham during his 1996 crusade in Charlotte just months after taking office as mayor of Charlotte. He said Graham was extremely welcoming to him, leading to a close friendship late in Graham’s life.
“I called him ‘Uncle Billy,’ because he made you feel a part of the family,” McCrory said. “Not just the Graham family, but God’s family. And this has hit me and literally hundreds of millions of people throughout the world from a personal standpoint.”
Incumbent North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper tweeted his condolences to Graham’s family Wednesday, tweeting that Graham was a “strong, humble, positive and passionate North Carolina man of faith who made a difference in the lives of so many.”
