On This Day in 2016, Toby Keith Lost a Longtime Band Member and the “Ol’ Friend” Who Introduced Him to Willie Nelson

Two years ago this month, country music superstar Toby Keith died in his sleep at age 62 following a years-long battle with stomach cancer. Long before Keith won over audiences with hits like “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)”, he formed a group called the Easy Money Band while working the oil fields in Oklahoma. In 1997—several years into Keith’s stardom—his friend Joey Floyd joined the Easy Money Band, playing acoustic and electric guitar, fiddle, banjo, as well as backup vocals. On this day (Feb. 14) in 2016, Floyd died at age 47 following a long battle with cancer.

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Toby Keith Remembers “Ol’ Friend” Joey Floyd

Following Joey Floyd’s passing, the “Red Solo Cup” singer took to social media to remember his longtime bandmate.

“There will be a hole on stage and a hole in the hearts of all that loved him,” Toby Keith wrote on Facebook. “Rest in peace ol’ friend.”

Born Dec. 17, 1968, in Arlington, Texas, Joey Michael Floyd displayed an early knack for music, learning to play guitar with his grandfather, Frank Rigby. At age 5, he auditioned for the Grapevine Opry. Five years later, a then 10-year-old Floyd played Willie Nelson’s son in the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose.

This marked the start of a lifelong friendship with the “On the Road Again” star, as Floyd and his sister Jill spent the next two years touring with Nelson and his band, The Family. (In fact, it was Joey who introduced Toby Keith to Nelson, leading to a strong friendship and the No. 1 duet “Beer For My Horses.)

Next, he and Jill became the first regulars on Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue before Joey graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1987. The siblings went off to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, forming their own band, Eldorado. They played events such as Farm Aid and Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July picnic.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1993, Toby Keith Introduced Himself to the Country Music World While Making Fun of His Buddy’s Dance Floor Rejection]

Tragically, Floyd’s passing marked the second death within the Easy Money Band in three years. Bass player Carl “Chuck” Goff died in an Oklahoma car crash on Feb. 27, 2013. He was 54 years old.

Featured image by Gary Miller/Getty Images