Jake Owen treated fans to a live Facebook tribute to the late Merle Haggard on Thursday night (April 7), and it was 25 minutes of remembrance, laughter and fun -- a personal concert of sorts from Owen.

"Yesterday when I heard that Mr. Merle Haggard passed away -- it was one of the first times in a long time that someone that I really strongly listened to growing up and throughout my career, and someone that I loved listening to their voice -- was gone," Owen admitted to those watching.

The country star sat in his kitchen with his guitar, and although he admitted that he was trying to be quiet because his daughter Pearl was asleep, that didn't stop him from playing some great Haggard covers. Owen explained that he'll often sit around his house late at night playing songs -- generally Haggard's.

"I just love the ease that he put in his music but also the reality that he had in his music, and the honesty," Owen confessed.

Working from a list of songs and taking live requests from fans, Owen kicked off with "My Own Kind of Hat," which he called "... one of my favorites of all time," and followed it up with "Going Where the Lonely Go."

At one point during the live Facebook event, Owen paused, looked at the screen, and exclaimed, "Hey, Easton Corbin just joined!"

"If you were doing this, I'd listen to you, bud," Owen said. "You're one of the great country singers out there, and I'm flattered that you're watching."

Owen prefaced many of his song selections with an anecdote or explanation; before he played "Heaven Was a Drink of Wine," he said, "Since Merle Haggard is in heaven right now, I think this'll be a good one." (Adding to the intimate atmosphere, Owen grabbed a beer from his refrigerator and drank in honor of "the Hag.")

"It's Been a Great Afternoon," "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," "Are the Good Times Really Over" and more were also covered by Owen. Though the "Real Life" singer is well-known for lighthearted, beach-centric songs, he admitted to the watching fans, "I love playing these kinds of songs."

"Thanks for tuning in and checking out my Merle Haggard tribute," Owen wrote after the event. "Heaven has one heck of a honky-tonk going on these days. Thanks for everything, Merle."

Owen recently debuted a new single, "American Country Love Song," from his upcoming album.

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