Sammy Hagar pays moving tribute to Toby Keith
Following the death of American country star Toby Keith, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar has shared a touching tribute to the late singer.
Keith passed away in February aged 62 following a battle with stomach cancer after a diagnosis in 2022. Over the course of his star-studded career, the singer-songwriter sold more than 40 million albums, released over 20 studio records and in the process, became an icon of the country music scene.
His death was announced in a statement that read: “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on [February] 5 surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”
Following his passing, Keith was mourned by countless figures from the country genre and beyond. His life was then celebrated at the Moody Center in Austin on April 7th during the CMT Awards, with Hagar stealing the show in style by covering ‘I Love This Bar’.
The show was opened and closed by Baseball icon Roger Clemens, who told those in the audience, “Toby was in Houston, off and on for three years while he was battling that damn C-word. Through it all, he always kept his humor and his wit,” he said.
Clemens also encouraged the Austin crowd to chant “whiskey for my men and beer for my horses” at the end of the show, before thanking Keith’s family.
Before taking to the stage, Hagar had previously revealed he decided upon covering ‘I Love This Bar’ because it was an “appropriate song choice”. As he stepped up to perform, Hagar shared an anecdote about his friendship with Keith, which revealed precisely why he chose to perform the track.
Outside of the music industry, Hagar owns a bar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which Keith often frequented. He remembered: “Toby and I closed the Cabo Wabo down a lot more times than probably we even remember. It’s hard to get thrown out of your own bar, and we managed to do that.”
Meanwhile, Hagar’s feud with fellow former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth recently took an unexpected after he was accused of being “sex probed” by aliens following an induction.
Roth claimed on his YouTube channel: “According to Sam, he was abducted by aliens. I know that when you’re abducted by aliens you get sex probed. I am compelled to solicit this sordid subject in an effort to explain Sam Hagar’s conduct. For the last 10 summers I haven’t said a single syllable about him. Not one. I defy you.” Hagar is yet to respond to the strange allegations.
Watch Hagar perform ‘I Love This Bar’ at the CTM Awards below.
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