Toby Keith's Family Brought to Tears During Emotional CMT Awards Tribute
The CMT Awards were filled with memorable performances and speeches from some of country music's biggest stars. But for many fans, the highlight of the night was the award show tribute to Toby Keith.
Toby passed away in February at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. He is survived by his wife, Tricia, and three children, Shelley, Krystal, and Stelen. His children were in attendance at the awards show to take in the star-studded tribute.
Toby's friend and former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens hosted the tribute. Brooks & Dunn took the stage to perform "Should've Been a Cowboy," Sammy Hagar of Van Halen fame sang "I Love This Bar," and Lainey Wilson finished the set with "How Do You Like Me Now?" After the raucous tribute, Roger took the stage to thank Toby's family for sharing him with the world before instructing the audience to raise their red Solo cups for a toast. Shelley, Kristal, and Stelen were shown in the audience with tears in their eyes.
After the show, Sammy, who was a personal friend of Toby, shared on Twitter that there "wasn't a dry eye in the room." He wrote, "I was so worried that I wasn't going to make it through the performance emotionally. It was hard for me working up to it. When I hit the stage with Toby's wonderful band that I played with many times over the years, the audience, energy, enthusiasm, and love that filled that building every tear of sadness into joy. It was a beautiful experience to say the least, so proud and honored to have been invited. We all miss that bigger than life, wonderful man, Mr. Toby Keith."
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