The children of country music legend Toby Keith shed tears as they paid a heartfelt tribute to their late father at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
The “Should Have Been a Cowboy” singer, who died in February at the age of 62, was remembered on Sunday night’s broadcast with Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar and Laney Wilson each performing his songs. expressed his condolences.
The musicians performed hits such as “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” “I Love This Bar” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!” At a ceremony held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Keith, who died after a battle with stomach cancer, was also honored with a series of moving speeches from his long-time friends and fellow singers.
In the audience, the late performer’s three children, Crystal Keith, Sherry Korbel Rowland, and Stellen Keith Korbel, watched in loving eulogy. The wife of “Red Solo Cup” hitmaker Tricia Lucas was not in attendance.
At one point during the broadcast, the camera cut to the late singer’s three children, visibly overcome with emotion and crying.
After the performance, former MLB player Roger Clemens, a longtime friend of the late Keith, read a loving eulogy in memory of Keith.
“Thank you for telling all of us about your dad. Thank you,” he said, bringing Keith’s family to tears. “Trish, we love you. Thank you, Trish, for letting the world know about your husband. Thank you.”
As the crowd cheered, Clemens asked everyone to toast a red Solo cup in Keith’s honor, referencing Keith’s hit song “Beer for My Horses.”
“Okay, quick. Raise them up. To everyone at home who doesn’t have a solo cup, raise your fist. I’ll have Toby listen. After me, I say, ‘Whiskey for the men,’ ‘Whiskey for the horses.’ “Beer,” repeat. Let’s go,” he concluded.
Elsewhere, Willie Nelson’s son Lucas, who played in Keith’s band, joined singer Riley Greene to say a few words about the late icon.
“Toby was not a shy guy. He was a man of great character,” said Nelson, 35. “I met him when I was young and he was working on ‘Beer for My Horses’ with his father. I had a chance to see his artistry firsthand. I was lucky to be able to do that.”
“That guy came up with hooks like no other, sang every song he wrote as hard as he could, and somehow just made it look easy,” Green added.
“Now we’re going to have our favorite artists perform some of our favorite Tobey songs.”
Wilson, 31, then took to the stage to pay tribute with an uplifting performance of “How Do You Like Me Now?!”
Throughout his illustrious 30-year career, Keith has been nominated for a total of 30 CMT Awards and won seven belt buckles.
They performed 13 times at award ceremonies.
