Like many, Kid Rock is in a state of mourning over the late Toby Keith. The artist regrets not blowing off a gig to see Keith when he performed in Las Vegas. Those performances ended up being the last of Keith’s career. The country legend passed away from stomach cancer just a few months later.
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“Man, I’m gonna regret… I was just out in Las Vegas when he was playing and I had this commitment, and I told my fiancée ‘I should just blow this commitment off and go see Toby.’ I just felt that was what I should do, and I didn’t, and I’m gonna regret that. I didn’t know it was in this stage, unfortunately,” Kid Rock told Fox News.
While he didn’t get to see Keith, Kid Rock has plenty of memories of the two. He said he’ll remember the most that Keith was a fun guy and often seemed larger than life. Kid Rock enjoyed the time they got to hang together.
He said, “He was such an incredible talent, and he loved his family like he loved his country. And we should not forget what a fun guy he was. I was thinking just when I heard the news 30 minutes ago, memories started going through my head of all the award shows and after-parties, whether it was in the back of Losers picking guitars or we were at a golf tournament or out in Los Angeles. So many different spots throughout the years. He was just a great, great guy. We called him Big Dog. He was a large man.”
Rock continued, “He was such an incredible talent and he loved his family like he loved his country. And we should also not forget what a what a fun guy he was.”
Kid Rock Reflects on Toby Keith
Both Keith and Kid Rock became known for their many trips overseas to play for the American military. Keith ended up doing 11 USO tours, penning both “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” as well as “American Soldier” to show his support for the troops.
Kid Rock said Keith and he often had a running joke with each other.
“We used to joke about who went over there more because me and him, definitely, you know, have tens, if not 20 times that we have been there, you know, spending Christmases, Thanksgivings, you know, just whenever we were called, we went to do it. Sometimes we called them and we went do it. And we had a lot of conversations about that, about how it was the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done in our careers, but it was also the most work,” Kid Rock said.
The singer is thinking of Keith’s family. He continued, “My heart goes out to his family, and his friends here in Nashville, but especially I’m thinking of his family right now…. long live Big Dog.”
[Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images]
