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On Monday, July 29, Luke Bryan paid an emotional tribute to his late sister during his performance at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. He was originally slated to pay tribute to Toby Keith. He joined icons like Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Trace Adkins, Jelly Roll, Brantley Gilbert, Darius Rucker, Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, and others in the event called Toby Keith: American Icon.
Luke Bryan's sister Kelly died in 2007 of mysterious and unknown causes. At just 39, she was with her 3-year-old child when she suddenly fell to her demise. Autopsies and other post-mortem procedures have all proven ineffective, and no one has figured out the cause of her death to date. Her husband, Ben Lee Cheshire, also died seven years later, leaving their three kids without parents.
Walking onto the stage in his signature baseball cap, Luke Bryan quickly went offstage and changed into an unconventional cowboy hat that grabbed everyone's attention.
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"This hat has been hanging in my closet for probably 15 years. My sister down in Georgia, when I was playing bars and doing about 10 Toby Keith songs a night, my sister bought me this hat," explained Luke Bryan.
The country icon further explained that he used to wear the hat regularly at a point, but Kelly's death changed everything for him.
"I used to wear this hat every night. Ever since I lost my sister, I hadn’t put this hat on stage in a lot of years," continued Luke Bryan.
In fact, Luke Bryan's family had suffered a series of disasters at one point in time. It all started in 1996 when his brother, Chris, died in a fatal car crash at just 26. The loss was a blow for Bryan as Chris was his "best friend and biggest supporter," according to what was reported by Sunday TODAY in 2021.
It was followed by the mysterious death of Kelly eleven years later and her husband, Ben Lee Cheshire, in 2014. Luke and his wife, Caroline, decided to adopt all three of their orphaned children and made it official in 2015.
"He was a world-class singer"— Luke Bryan sang Should’ve Been a Cowboy to honor Toby Keith
Luke Bryan sang Toby Keith's iconic Should’ve Been a Cowboy to honor the legendary singer who died on February 5, 2024, after battling stomach cancer for a long time. Donning his sister's hat, he said that he used to sing all of Toby Keith's chartbusters when he sang in bars before moving to Nashville.
"I was walking out of the house, and I said, ‘I’m just an old country boy from Georgia, but Toby Keith certainly made me want to be a cowboy, and I’m going to be a cowboy tonight," said the country legend.
Before the start of the event, Luke Bryan spoke about the late singer in an interview with The American Songwriter and expressed his regret over not getting to spend more time with Toby Keith before his death.
“Toby is just a legendary person. At the height of his career, he’s over there uplifting our troops and our soldiers, and nobody laid the groundwork for that better than Toby Keith," commented Luke Bryan.
He continued raving about the late singer and talked about the impact of Keith on his singing career.
"I was a fan from ‘Should’ve Been a Cowboy,’ and I was a fan of everything he did because he had fun. He was serious. He was a world-class singer. He was authentic, and that’s what it takes to be considered an icon. He’s definitely that and left a big mark on my career.”
Toby Keith: American Icon did more than just pay a tribute to the legendary songwriter. A part of the proceeds from the concert went to OK Kids Korral, an initiative by The Toby Keith Foundation to provide free homes for families of children who are dealing with life-threatening diseases. Some of the amounts from the ticket sales also went to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Keith's three children, Krystal, Stelen, and Shelley were also present during the concert. Krystal sang her father's song Don't Let The Old Man In in a moment that turned out to be a tear-jerker for everyone in the audience.
Fans who missed the live recording of the concert can watch the recording on NBC on August 28 at 9 pm ET. They can also stream the same event on Peacock from August 29.
