Keith Whitley’s Son Remembers Him On What Would Be His 70th Birthday

Jesse Keith Whitley took a heartfelt moment to honor his late father, country music legend Keith Whitley, on what would have been his 70th birthday.

Whitley sadly passed away on May 9, 1989, at the age of 34.

Remembering Keith Whitley’s Impactful Career

Known for his soulful authority and passion, Keith Whitley’s music connected deeply with traditional country and bluegrass sounds. His early influences included the bluegrass music of the Stanley Brothers and hard-country singers like Hank Williams, George Jones, and Merle Haggard.

In 1983, Whitley left the bluegrass scene to pursue a career in Nashville, signing with RCA Records one year later. His 1988 album, Don’t Close Your Eyes, featured three consecutive #1 hit singles: “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “When You Say Nothing At All,” and “I’m No Stranger To The Rain.”

Throughout his career, he released only two albums but managed to chart twelve singles on the Billboard country charts, with an additional seven singles charting posthumously.

Unfortunately, Keith Whitley passed away at the young age of 34. The official cause of death was ruled “acute ethanolism” (alcohol poisoning).

Keith was married to fellow country artist Lorrie Morgan when he passed away. Together, they had one son, Jesse Keith Whitley, who was nearly two years old when Whitley died.

Jesse has followed in his parents’ musical footsteps, releasing his own music and covering his father’s famous songs, including “I’m Over You.”

Watch Jesse sing the song at the Country Rebel Ranch in the video below!

Jesse Keith Whitley Honors Dad With Heartfelt Tribute

On Monday, July 1st, Jesse posted a heartwarming tribute to his father on his official Facebook page. Keith Whitley would have been 70.

In the sweet message, he expressed how much he misses his dad. He also noted that this year’s annual Keith Whitley Memorial Show had the largest turnout ever.

“Try number 1,098,024+ today…idk at this point. Yall, it’s been a very emotional week, month, year. Whatever. I know you don’t care for all the details but we had the biggest and best turnout I’ve EVER seen for the Keith Whitley Memorial ever. And thank you. So much. Almost 1,000 people came out to support Dad and everything he did in a short time.”

During the memorial show, an artist known as Art by Brittany donated a beautiful painting of Keith Whitley. In a surprise reveal, she began painting Whitley’s portrait at the start of the event and completed it by the end of the show.

RELATED: Jesse Keith Whitley Remembers His Dad As “The Greatest To Ever Do It”

Jesse went on to share his deep longing to talk to his dad. Additionally, he expressed how much he wished his father were still here.

“Happy birthday Dad, EVERYONE LOVES YOU. And God I hope you’re smiling and I hope I’m doing you justice…Happy Birthday. I love you.”

See Jesse’s full post below.