Toby Keith‘s daughter Krystal did him proud during her tribute performance at the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (Nov. 16.)
Krystal Keith kept her late country star father’s memory alive, and gave an emotional salute to the military. But she also kept a Keith family football tradition going.
- In 2001, Keith sang the national anthem at the very first football game at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium.
- That game was a matchup between the Steelers and the Bengals, and the Steelers won.
- On Sunday, the Steelers and the Bengals once again squared off — and, once again, the Steelers walked away victorious.
“The Keith/Steelers winning streak continues!” Krystal joked in a social media post she shared on Monday (Nov. 17).
Behind the Scenes From Krystal Keith’s Toby Keith Tribute at the Steelers-Bengals Game
That clip also shows some behind-the-scenes from her performance. Krystal brought her two daughters, Kirby and Hensley, to the stadium with her, and got to introduce them to several Steelers players.
It was an emotional family moment for Krystal, since Keith was a dedicated Steelers fan who shared his love of the game with his daughter.
“Yesterday was a dream come true,” she wrote about her experience singing at the game.
“Every moment of sitting on my dad’s lap as a kid watching The Bus plow through defenders came rushing back when I stepped on Heinz field,” Krystal continued. “I have proudly worn [Steelers] colors my entire life.”
“Properly introducing my girls to my team in Steel City and honoring both my dad and servicemen and women by singing the anthem and doing the halftime show was such an honor,” she said.
What Did Krystal Keith Sing During the Steelers-Bengals Halftime Show?
Krystal performed two of Keith’s songs, “Don’t Let the Old Man In” and “American Soldier,” during the halftime show, per the NFL team’s website.
She previously performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In” in 2024 for Toby Keith: American Icon, an all-star NBC special that featured cover performances of Keith’s hits.
Krystal Keith Songs + Career
Krystal Keith is the only one of Toby’s three kids to show an interest in music and performing. Her best known song is “Daddy Dance With Me,” a wedding ballad that she performed for the first time at her wedding.
That was the only charting song of her three releases, although she did release two albums before stepping away from the microphone to focus on her family.
Related: Hear a Never-Released Toby Keith Song
Performances have been infrequent in recent years, but not nonexistent. She sang the National Anthem ahead of the NCAA Women’s Softball Championship in June 2024.
Since Toby Keith’s death from cancer in February 2024, the family has remained quietly active. They all gathered at the Kentucky Derby last May and privately celebrated the birth of son Stelen’s daughter Millie, born in May.
How Did Toby Keith Die?
Keith died of stomach cancer in February 2024. He was 62 years old.
He’d announced his diagnosis in the summer of 2022, and bravely fought the illness. He returned to the spotlight in September 2023 to receive the Icon Award at the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards, and completed a series of Las Vegas shows at the end of that year.
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