Willie Nelson is undeniably one of the most prominent tokers alive, and now he is quietly breaking stoner stereotype one at a time. Everyone can agree that Willie has put himself among the elite, all-time greats of our generation and generations to come in music. But, we're going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn't know he could also kick your ass at 81 years of age. That's right, 'Master' Willie celebrated his 81st birthday by receiving his fifth-degree black belt in the martial art of Gong Kwon Yu Sul. We talked with his instructor at Master Martial Arts who sent us over some pictures from the very special evening.
When Nelson initially showed up to his studio, Sam Um said he worried about the musician's heart because of his age. Then the instructor got a glimpse of his lifestyle over the next 20 years. "He has more stamina than I do," Um said.
"I'm pretty healthy at 81. I think a lot of it has to do with the exercise that you do," Nelson explained to the AP. "I think martial arts is one of the best exercises you can do. Mentally, spiritually, physically, everything. I'm sure that's helped."
