Watch Eric Church’s Chilling Hall of Fame Tribute to Toby Keith

Toby Keith had an undeniable fun-loving side to his personality, and the music he left behind ensures he’ll be remembered for it.

At the 2024 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony on Sunday (Oct. 20), where Keith was posthumously inducted as an official member, his playful musical sensibilities were well-represented. Blake Shelton gave a tribute performance of Keith’s “I Love This Bar” and “Red Solo Cup,” while Post Malone sang “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight.”

But when it was Eric Church‘s turn to take the stage, he opted to cover a late-career Keith hit that just might go down in history as the singer’s saddest, most somber song ever.

Wearing all black and donning his trademark sunglasses, Church gave an unflinching performance of Keith’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In” — a song about the unforgiving march of mortality, and one man’s attempts to stave off the inevitable as he ages.

Church’s rendition was simple and emotionally unsparing. Accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, he let the story behind the lyrics shine through, and doubtless brought some tears to audience members’ eyes as they watched the performance.

Keith originally wrote “Don’t Let the Old Man In” to feature on Clint Eastwood film The Mule, and its title was inspired by a conversation Keith had with the then-88-year-old director about how he stays active in order to keep feeling young.

The song came out in December 2018, when Keith was still a few years removed from being diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021. But as his cancer progressed — and after he died of his disease in February, at 62 years old — the song took on a poignant new meaning.

Keith’s last televised performance took place at the People’s Choice Country Awards in the fall of 2023, and he performed the song. The moment was one of the most unforgettable, and the most emotional, of the night.

Keith was one of three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024; John Anderson and guitarist James Burton were the other two legends in this year’s class. The Hall typically inducts three country luminaries each year, and a variety of performers turn out to honor the inductees during the official medallion ceremony.