On stage, Tim McGraw talks about Toby Keith.
Last Monday, the singer died. During his show this week at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Orlando, Florida, the 56-year-old country star sang a touching ode to the singer.
McGraw put a video of the sweet moment on Instagram. He talked about how close he has become friends with Keith over the years in the video.
It wasn’t long before Toby and I became good friends. We rode the bus together a lot, put on shows together, and even played basketball. The joke was that it wasn’t fun to play against him because he was so good at hoops.
“But he was a great person and a great artist, and I admired how he did things his own way, without caring what other people thought,” McGraw said. “Please don’t judge me if I start to cry.” I’d like to give this song to Toby and his family.
A lot of people in the crowd joined McGraw as he sang his song “Live Like You Were Dying” in honor of Keith.
“Thanks Hollywood FL for helping me pay tribute to @tobykeith last night,” McGraw added in the caption. “It meant a lot @hardrockholly.”
Keith passed away at the age of 62 on Monday after battling stomach cancer since fall 2021. His family shared that he “passed peacefully” in a statement on social media.
After the video of McGraw’s tribute surfaced, he received praise from fans and friends including Brett Favre, who was also close to Keith. “Tim that was awesome!!!” he wrote.
Favre shared his last conversation with Keith in an interview, where Keith expressed being tired and at peace with whatever happened. He mentioned quitting chemotherapy and hoping he didn’t quit it too late.
McGraw’s tribute to Keith comes after he posted a heartfelt message on Instagram calling Keith his “brother.”
In his post, McGraw talked about their shared experiences and Keith’s fearless approach to his career. He ended the tribute with, “We all will miss you, brother.”
