Toby Keith’s Final Iconic Performance: A Poignant Farewell at the People’s Choice Country Awards
On September 28, 2023, at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, country music fans witnessed a moment that will be etched forever in the genre’s history. Toby Keith — the voice behind classics like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and “American Soldier” — returned to the stage for the first time since revealing his battle with stomach cancer in June 2022.
That evening, Keith was honored with the Country Icon Award, a fitting recognition for his decades of music that defined American grit, pride, and storytelling. In true Toby Keith fashion, he lightened the moment with humor, joking about how his illness had left him thin enough for “skinny jeans.” But when the lights dimmed and the music began, levity gave way to something much deeper.
“Don’t Let the Old Man In”
Keith chose to perform “Don’t Let the Old Man In” — a song he originally wrote in 2019 for the Clint Eastwood film The Mule. Its lyrics, a meditation on aging, resilience, and defiance, carried a haunting new meaning as Keith stood beneath the spotlight, visibly frail yet radiating strength.
“Don’t let the old man in / I want to live me some more / Can’t leave it up to him / He’s knocking on my door…”
The performance became more than a song — it was a declaration of spirit. Each line felt like a battle cry against the illness that had shaken his life, and a gift to fans who had walked with him through every era of his career.
A Room in Tears
The camera caught his wife, Tricia Lucus, wiping tears as Keith’s voice filled the venue. Fans in the crowd were silent, gripped by the raw vulnerability of the moment. When Keith reached the final verse — “Look out your window and smile / Don’t let the old man in” — his eyes glistened. By the closing chord, the entire arena was on its feet, applauding not just the music, but the man himself.
A Legacy Etched in Country Music
Just months later, on February 5, 2024, Toby Keith passed away at 62 after a valiant fight with stomach cancer. Yet that night at the People’s Choice Country Awards became his final great performance — a moment where the world saw his courage laid bare in song.
It was more than a farewell; it was a reminder of what Toby Keith had always embodied: strength, humor, honesty, and an unshakable spirit. His music will continue to ride, like the cowboy in his debut single, across the heart of country music for generations to come.