Toby Keith’s Wife Attends ACM Awards In First Public Appearance Since His Death
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Toby Keith & His Wife, Tricia, Were Married For Nearly 40 Years Before His Death In February
Toby Keith’s wife, Tricia Covel, attended the 2024 ACM Awards on Thursday night (May 16), marking her first public appearance since his death in February.
The singer, whose real name was Toby Keith Covel, married Tricia Lucus on March 24, 1984. He adopted her daughter, Shelley, and they welcomed two more children together: Krystal and Stelen.
Tricia helped Toby through every moment after he received his stomach cancer diagnosis. Shortly before his death, he spoke about how Tricia supported him through his battle.
“Aw she’s been a trooper,” he said. “She’s the best nurse. She absolutely – the first time we went to Houston, the hospital, she stepped right in, and she just took control and said, ‘We’ve got this, let’s go.’ She’s like, ‘We’re gonna get this, and don’t worry about it.'”
Toby and Tricia made their last major public appearance together at the People’s Choice Country Awards in September 2023. Toby received the Country Icon Award and delivered a poignant performance of his song “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
Tricia could be seen with tears in her eyes during the performance.
Tricia Covel Makes First Public Appearance Since Her Husband’s Death – Attends The 2024 ACM Awards
Toby passed away on February 5, 2024, at the age of 62.
His son, Stelen, became the first member of his family to appear in public after Toby’s death. Stelen offered brief remarks at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s inductee announcement ceremony, where Toby received recognition as one of this year’s inductees.
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In April, all three of Toby’s kids made their first joint public appearance since their father’s death when they attended the CMT Music Awards. The show hosted an all-star tribute to Toby, which included performances from Brooks & Dunn, Sammy Hagar, and Lainey Wilson.
The Covel children walked the red carpet and watched the show in the crowd. They could be seen crying several times during the tribute to their father. However, Tricia was not in attendance.
Days before the 2024 ACM Awards, the ACM announced that Jason Aldean would honor Toby with another tribute. The ACM invited Toby’s family to attend the ceremony, and they did, including Tricia.
Tricia was photographed on the red carpet with Shelley, Krystal, Stelen, and Stelen’s wife, Haley.
The camera also showed Tricia in the audience with her and Toby’s children at the start of the ACM Awards during Reba McEntire’s opening monologue.
Tricia was later seen in the crowd watching Jason Aldean’s moving performance of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” in tribute to Toby. You can watch that performance below.
It warmed fans’ hearts to see Toby Keith’s wife and kids at the ACM Awards this year. They all remain in our thoughts and prayers…
Toby Keith was the founder of the Toby Keith Foundation. The foundation helps support the OK Kids Korral, which serves as a home-away-from-home for families with children undergoing cancer treatments. If you’d like to make a donation in Toby’s memory, you can visit the Toby Keith Foundation’s official website here.
