MARION (WSIL) -- A group of teens in Marion surprised their friend for his birthday by inviting an unexpected guest.
"How old are you, Aden?"
"I just turned 18."
Grammy award-winning country artist Brad Paisley joined in the fun, wishing a happy birthday to Aden Browning who turned 18 Tuesday.
One of Aden's friends jokingly texted a number on Paisley's Instagram page, and to the group's shock, Paisely responded to the text 30 minutes later.
The group set up a Zoom call with Browning, and Paisley joined the call.
Friends say the surprise was special, given the circumstances.
"There's a lot of memories for his senior year that he's going to be missing out in all this, and we just think it's important to find a way around that and bring some positivity whenever there is not some," said Ryan Palmer.
"It's pretty hard, so I definitely think that this is a really amazing opportunity from Brad and just for us all to get together and do fun stuff together," said Noah Cash.
Paisely did not sing "Happy Birthday," but he did spend about five minutes chatting with the group.
Aden tells News 3 the surprise made his 18th birthday a lot more special.
