Toby Keith’s Wife Tricia Opens Up About His Passing For The First Time During Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Toby Keith was one of three musical legends to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during last night’s annual Medallion Ceremony alongside John Anderson and James Burton. Since the late icon was the only honoree who was not present, his wife, Tricia Covel, was on hand to accept the honor on his behalf. 

The Oklahoma native was recognized in the Modern Era Artist category for his outstanding career that spanned nearly 30 years. From 1993 until his death in 2024, he had 42 Top 10 country hits, 20 No. 1 hits and sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Keith wrote or co-wrote most of his songs, which allowed him to deliver honest stories that paid tribute to his fun-loving spirit and pride for his country. 

When it was time to honor Toby Keith on Sunday evening, several of his fellow country stars took the stage to deliver signature tunes from his hit-filled collection. Post Malone performed “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight,” Eric Church delivered his own rendition of “Don’t Let the Old Man In” And Blake Shelton sang a medley of “I Love This Bar” and “Red Solo Cup” using a replica of Toby’s iconic American flag guitar that was made by the same guitar maker who created Toby’s original one.

Randy Owen Presents The Medallion To Toby’s Other Half

Following the memorable performances, it was time for Randy Owen to present Tricia with Keith’s medallion. Stepping up to the podium with, she clearly had both pain and love in her voice, as this speech marked the first time she had publicly spoken on Keith’s passing and the legacy he left behind.

“Well, I guess you all have guessed, it’s pretty emotional for me tonight, and this is actually the first time I’ve been able to talk,” Tricia shared honestly with the crowd. “I’m not sure if I can finish it, but I wanted to thank Randy for coming up and introducing Toby. I wanted to congratulate John and James in their induction. Congratulations, it’s a big night for all of us. I wish Toby was here to be able to do it. It was something he was always looking forward to.”

“He Considered Himself A Songwriter First And Foremost”

She went on to emphasizes Keith’s love for Owen and the rest of the Alabama group before explaining just how much songwriting truly meant to him as an artist. 

“He did anything he wanted to do. As soon as he set his mind to it, he really worked hard, and once he made his mind up, he pretty much did anything he wanted to do. He considered himself a songwriter first and foremost though, that was his passion. That was the biggest thing that meant the most to him, other than the family, obviously. But he considered himself a songwriter,” she shared. “He wrote songs that were so compelling the people knew a man was living those words. You could see into that baritone voice. His heart and soul, his attitude, personality, and character shone through every lyric. He didn’t just sing those songs. He was those songs.”

Tricia made sure to note his last televised performance, where he delivered “Don’t Let The Old Man In” during the inaugural People’s Choice Country awards in 2023. She recalled the fact that there was not a dry eye in the audience that night, proving once again why the song went on to become a No. 1 hit following the performance.

Discusses Toby Keith’s Passion For Performing For The Troops

A large part of Toby Keith’s career was the amount of time he spent singing for the troops. Tricia witnessed just how much he loved doing this and revealed that no matter how dangerous the situation may have been, he would not have missed an opportunity to perform for those who served. 

“The USO gave him their spirit award, recognizing individuals for their passion and dedication to the men and women in uniform. He loved the troops, he loved getting to go and be a part of that. He didn’t get to serve, but his dad did. So in his mind, that was him giving back. He did hundreds of shows in the Middle East, often in the most dangerous of places. He wasn’t going to play it safe, he never would tell me where he was going or what he was doing, and that it was a security issue. So they just never would tell me until after he got back. He had been up in the planes, and they had been shooting at him, or he was performing down in a base, and they started taking fire at the base so he had to go down to the bunkers. It was the thrill of that and being able to say he was giving back. He loved the troops and it was just one of those things that he was so passionate about.”

Kids Korral, The Toby Keith Foundation

There were so many moments throughout his life and career where Toby Keith showcased just how loyal he was to everyone around him. When bandmate told him about his daughter’s cancer diagnosis, Keith sprung into action and started his own foundation, which has since raised over $20 million to help build and fund the OK Kids Korral in Oklahoma City. Tricia shared how much it meant for Keith to give back in this way as well.

“He might’ve been worried when he left that the OK Kids Korral would fail after he was gone, but the kids and I are working to be able to help carry that torch and do what we can do to help maintain that legacy that he started,” she promised. 

His Legacy To Live On In Country Music

Although Tricia admits she and their kids are heartbroken by the loss of their husband and father, she will always carry his unwavering kindness and passion in her heart. Thanks to his work in country music, his family also has peace of mind knowing that there is a huge community of fans and fellow artists that will help them carry this weight of grief.

“There’ll never be another Toby Keith. The kids, and our family and all of our friends, we’re all brokenhearted that he’s not here to be able to accept this. The grief is not something we can just let pass. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know him personally. He made you feel like you were his best friend when he talked with you. There are people all over the world that Toby ment something to…They feel the same emptiness of loss that we do. He sang the songs of their lives just like he did ours. They may not have ever met him, but they knew him through his music, through his songs. That’s why you see so many artists performing his songs at their concerts. Doing the tributes has been overwhelming to me and my kids and we’re so grateful and so thankful for all of their efforts and the things that they’ve done to be able to help heal us as a family. There will be generations of people who continue to play Toby’s songs. So even through our pain, we know that Toby’s spirit is still alive.”

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, she expressed the utmost gratitude for having spent 43 wonderful years with Keith and watched him build a team of people who would support him and his music career until he very end. Even though Keith did not live long enough to witness this monumental moment in his career, Tricia is grateful for all those that continue to celebrate him. 

“I want to close by thanking the Country Music Hall of Fame for honoring Toby with this induction. He didn’t get the chance to hear the news that he had been inducted, but I have a feeling in his words he might’ve thought, ‘I should’ve been.’ So, Toby, we know, you know are in the country Music Hall of Fame.”

After honoring Toby Keith, John Anderson and James Burton, the annual Medallion Ceremony came to a close with a performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” led by Country Music Hall of Fame member Tanya Tucker.