The late Toby Keith‘s young ones realized they were in for an psychological evening at the 2024 CMT Music Awards where by their father was honored on Sunday, April 7.
“It means a whole lot. It’s our to start with definitely community visual appearance, community outing, and so it is pretty bittersweet,” Shelley Covel Rowland, Toby’s eldest boy or girl, solely told Us Weekly on the CMT Awards red carpet in Austin. “It’s going to be emotional. We’re executing our ideal to preserve the tears in now, make it by way of this line of cameras.”
Shelley, 44, walked the purple carpet with sister Krystal Keith and brother Stelen Keith Covel prior to Lainey Wilson, Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar and additional gathered on stage at the Moody Centre to pay out tribute to Toby, who died in February at age 62 just after battling tummy cancer.
“This is an award show that we arrived to very a bit and we’ve constantly arrive with him, so this is our 1st time getting right here without the need of him, but he’s being honored, so we feel like he’s listed here,” Krystal, 38, shared. “We’re excited to listen to his music, even however he’s not the one particular singing it. But we’re definitely honored that Brooks & Dunn and Sammy and Lainey have arrive to honor him in this way. So we’re seriously thrilled.”
Krystal Keith, Shelley Covel Rowland and Stelen Keith Covel Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Photographs for CMT
Stelen bought to converse to the performers briefly ahead of the efficiency, but he didn’t target substantially on their display. Instead, they just concentrated on sharing their memories of Toby. “[I got to] converse to them just about what he meant to them and vice versa,” Stelen instructed Us. “I received to relay the identical back, and so we’re seriously psyched to be in this article for them to see them complete.”
Krystal noted that hearing how their father impacted persons has remaining them blown absent in the months given that his demise.
“We understood that he was an extraordinary artist. We realized he was an extraordinary songwriter. We realized he experienced a huge supporter foundation, but what we didn’t — I think what took us by shock was the outpouring from the community and the business,” she spelled out. “People that we’ve recognized for so a lot of several years and individuals that we have in no way achieved, but telling us stories about the effect that he had on them, and I believe that speaks volumes to who he was to not just the marketplace but this, I mean the entire country audio family members and all the individuals in this business.”
Toby Keith Tribute Rick Kern/Getty Photos for CMT
Retired athlete Roger Clemens claimed he needed to honor the loved ones when he took the stage. “I’m likely to try and recognize them also … [I’m] just attempting to continue to be upbeat,” Clemens, 76, informed Us on the purple carpet. “We miss out on him.”
Clemens gave the children and mom Tricia Lucus, who was married to Toby for just about 40 yrs, a shout-out as the tribute concluded. “Thanks for sharing your father with all of us,” Clemens reported as he held again tears. “Thank you. Tricia, we really like you. Thank you for sharing your spouse with the planet Tricia, thank you.”
