Heartfelt Toby Keith Tribute Includes Covers Of Iconic Anthems On CMT Stage

Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Sammy Hagar came together for an all-star tribute to late country music legend Toby Keith during the 2024 CMT Music Awards on Sunday evening (April 7). The performance in Keith’s honor also included special appearances by by Lukas Nelson, Riley Green and Roger Clemens, and was backed by the “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” hitmaker’s longtime band, CMT confirmed days ahead of the show, which was hosted for its second year at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Clemens opened the tribute with a few words about Keith, and introduced Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn to the stage to kick off the tribute with Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.”

The tribute continued with Hagar’s rock-infused rendition of “I Love This Bar.”

Nelson and Green honored Keith and introduced Wilson to the stage to perform “How Do You Like Me Now?”

The tribute ended with red solo cups raised in the air, and a heartfelt message to Keith’s family.

“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5 surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time,” rads a statement posted to his social media pages in the early morning hours of Tuesday, February 6. Keith had been battling stomach cancer in the final years of his life. He revealed in June 2022 that he’d been diagnosed in Fall of 2021. The beloved country artist's loss was mourned in heartfelt tributes by other stars in the country music community, in addition to his family. He was 62.

Keith was also recently revealed in the 2024 Class of Country Music Hall of Fame inductees, announced by Brooks & Dunn during a live-streamed announcement hosted last month in the Hall of Fame Rotunda Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Keith will be honored in the Modern Era Artist category, along with James Burton in the rotating Recording and/or Touring Musician category and John Anderson in the Veterans Era Artist category. The induction will be held in the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum this October.

Other artists who took the stage at the 2024 CMT Music Awards included host Kelsea Ballerini, Jason Aldean, Dasha, Bailey Zimmerman, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson (who also performed her latest anthem, “Country’s Cool Again”), Little Big Town with Sugarland, Megan Moroney, NEEDTOBREATHE with Jordan Davis, Old Dominion with Megan Moroney, Parker McCollum with Brittney Spencer, Sam Hunt, and Trisha Yearwood, who was revealed as the recipient of the first-ever June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award.

Presenters included Amber Riley, Billy Bob Thornton (Landman), Carly Pearce, Cody Alan, Cody Johnson, Emily Osment (Young Sheldon), Emma Roberts, Gayle King (CBS Mornings), James Van Der Beek, Jane Seymour, Jelly Roll, Max Theriot (Fire Country), Megan Moroney, Melissa Etheridge, Mickey Guyton, Minnie Driver, Montana Jordan (Young Sheldon), Parmalee and Paul Walter Hauser, per a press release issued Wednesday.

See the list of winners here.