Lorrie Morgan Performs Her Late Husband Keith Whitley’s Song “Don’t Close Your Eyes”
on Jan 11, 2024
After her husband died, Lorrie Morgan took the stage to perform one of his most well-known songs, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”
While this may have been one of the hardest performances Lorrie Morgan has ever given, fans say it was also “the best she has ever sounded.”
Performing one of her late husband Keith Whitley’s most iconic songs, Morgan put everything she had into singing the heartbreaking lyrics, which were written by Bob McDill.
Keith Whitley & Lorrie Morgan photographed by me. pic.twitter.com/2LgPJhXFPP
— Ron Newcomer (@ron_newcomer) March 19, 2017
Whitley released “Don’t Close Your Eyes” as the third single off his 1988 album of the same name. It shot straight to number one on the country charts and became Billboard‘s number one country single of the year.
Sadly, after only releasing two albums to his name, Whitley passed away on May 9, 1989.
There have been four posthumous album releases since his passing, one dropping just three months after he died.
The video of her live performance of “Don’t Close Your Eyes” cut to a sweet montage of photos and videos of Morgan and Whitley together through the years. It closes with footage of the married couple slow dancing.
Lorrie Morgan & Keith Whitley photographed by me. @TheLorrieMorgan @lorriemorgn @KEITHWHITLEY @Jessekwhitley pic.twitter.com/1N27p9ba7z
— Ron Newcomer (@ron_newcomer) April 17, 2015
Morgan and Whitley were married in 1986 and have one child together, Jesse Keith Whitley, who is also a musician.
Jesse Keith performs a lot of original music, but also delights fans with covers of his famous dad’s songs. One time, he even brought his young son on stage, and it felt as through three generations of Whitley men were with us.
RELATED: Jesse Keith Whitley & His Son Jackie Sing “Don’t Close Your Eyes”
Jesse and his mother teamed up to perform the songs a number of years ago. Fans couldn’t believe their ears when they heard Jesse Keith start singing because he sounds eerily like his father.
See some of the fan reactions below.
“This is really beautiful. You can see how proud she is of her son. Big tribute to him that she stays in the background. She is no one’s backing singer.”
“freaking love this, you have your own sound and yet I can hear your dad too…. keep it up… we lost your dad too soon…”
Watch Lorrie’s moving rendition of “Don’t Close Your Eyes” below.
