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Tim McGraw is the latest celebrity to celebrate Toby Keith‘s life after the singer’s death from cancer at the age of 62. The country superstar took to Instagram to on Friday to share a video of himself paying tribute to the late star during a show at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. He also added a caption that expressed his gratitude for the emotional moment.
“Thanx Hollywood FL for helping me pay tribute to @tobykeith last night…. Meant so much @hardrockholly #timmcgraw #tobykeith,” the caption read.
In the clip, Tim talked to the crowd about the close relationship he had with Toby. “Toby and I got to know each other pretty well early in our career,” he said. “We spent a lot of time hanging out on the bus, played some shows together … having to guard him in basketball. It wasn’t a lot of fun because he beat the s*it out of you,” he also joked.
“But he was a really, really good guy, a great artist and I always respected how he did things his way and didn’t care what anybody thought,” he continued. “So bear with me if I don’t get through it, you guys help me out, but I want to dedicate this song to Toby and his family.”
Tim went on to sing his 2015 hit song “Live Like You Were Dying” and the audience members sang along. Just three days before, he also shared a tribute post to Toby that included photos of him and an emotional message.
“Our self titled debuts came out on the same day, April 20, 1993… Toby and I spent quite a bit of time together early in our careers…..We had a lot of good times and conversations about what we wanted out of our careers and our lives,” he wrote in the message. “He was a maverick. He did things his way, on his terms, a true artist. I always have and always will have tremendous respect for his artistry, dedication and fearlessness to do his thing.We all will miss you, brother.”
Tim’s touching on-stage and online tributes come after many other stars honored Toby after his death, which happened on Monday. Some of them included Reba McEntire, Brett Favre, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Zach Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kristin Chenoweth, Jelly Roll, and Jill Biden. Brett, who was good friends with Toby, recently revealed the details of his final encounter with Toby, three months before his death.
“I think in the end he was just tired. He did say that to me when we had our conversation, he said, ‘Brett… whatever happens, I’m OK with it,’” he told TMZ Sports. “[Keith] said, ‘I quit chemo and it probably did more damage to me than the cancer did. And he said, ‘I just hope I didn’t quit it too late, but… I’m thankful I got a chance to play some shows. I finished them.’ ”
