Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Keith Whitley’s Legacy Lives On Through Wife & Son “Don’t Close Your Eyes” Duet

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

The news of Keith Whitley’s death on May 9, 1989, shook the country world, especially when the cause of death was revealed to be his alcohol dependency. The singer had reportedly spent the weekend partying and was then found at home fully clothed and face down, dead from alcohol poisoning. Whitley was only thirty-three years old when he died.

Though Whitley’s career was tragically cut short, it gave him just enough time to make his mark on country music. From his first single’s release in 1984 to his untimely death in 1989, Whitley scored nineteen hit singles. 

Whitley made a name for himself in country music with songs like “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” Released in March 1988 as the third single from his album of the same name, the song reached No.1 in the United States while peaking at No. 2 in Canada. In addition to that, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” was Billboard’s No. 1 Country Single Of The Year in 1988. 

Written by Bob McDill, a Nashville songwriting giant whose songs were recorded by Waylon Jennings, Pam Tillis, and many others, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” sings about a man’s request for his partner to forget a previous paramour and make love with her eyes open.

“Don’t close your eyes, let it be me. Don’t pretend it’s him, in some fantasy. Darling just once, let yesterday go. And you’ll find more love than you’ll ever know. Just hold me tight, when you love me tonight. And don’t close your eyes,” the song goes. The song would later be cut by another country icon Alan Jackson and took the female point of view through Kellie Pickler’s rendition.

Keith Whitley’s Son And Wife Are Making Sure His Music Lives On

It’s a known fact that talent can certainly be passed down through generations, and Jesse Keith Whitley has proven this to be true. Jesse not only has a legendary father in Keith Whitley. He also has a talented country-singing mother in Lorrie Morgan, who was named Female Vocalist of the Year four times.

Jesse was not even two-years-old when his father died, so one of the only ways he was able to connect with him while growing up, was through music. In 2012, Jesse – an almost spitting image of his father – joined his mother for a once in a lifetime performance. He was a special guest at Lorrie Morgan’s show in Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma.

The mother and son duo came together to sing a breathtaking rendition of Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” The moment Jesse started singing his father’s iconic song, the crowd went wild! All Jesse had to sing was, “I know you loved him,” and you can immediately hear one fan yelling, “Sing it, Jesse!”

The audience’s response definitely made Morgan a little emotional. You can see her standing in the back, holding back her tears. The two have so much chemistry in this “Don’t Close Your Eyes” duet that it’s hard to imagine anyone singing this song better. And we’re sure the country icon would be so honored and impressed by this rendition. 

Keith Whitley is definitely smiling down on his family. Watch the emotional performance of Lorrie Morgan and Jesse Keith Whitley below.

Latest Stories

Jamey Johnson and his wife Brittney Eakins smile at each other in wedding attire by a scenic river, celebrating their unique love story that began with a proposal the day after they met.

Jamey Johnson Proposed to His Wife Brittney the Day After They Met and She Said Yes

Jamey Johnson doesn’t date. He decides. And apparently, he decided the moment he met Brittney Eakins because this outlaw son of Alabama met a woman, looked her dead in the ...

Beyoncé performs in a white rhinestone western outfit and cowboy hat during her Cowboy Carter era, drawing controversy after receiving country award nominations at the 2025 AMAs.

Beyoncé Got Two Country Nods at the 2025 AMAs While Real Country Artists Got Nothing

Let’s not sugarcoat this. Beyoncé just scored two country nominations at the 2025 American Music Awards, and half the artists actually living, breathing, and bleeding this genre didn’t get a ...

Breanna Nix hugs her young son backstage as she prepares for her Grand Ole Opry debut, radiating joy ahead of her biggest country music milestone yet.

Breanna Nix Will Make Her Grand Ole Opry Debut and She’s Bringing the Fire With Her

Third place? Nah. Breanna Nix didn’t come off American Idol with a consolation prize. She walked out with a calling. Just days after closing out Season 23 as the sleeper ...

John Foster performs onstage in a tan jacket and cowboy hat, holding a guitar and singing into a microphone under purple lighting.

John Foster Believes There Was a Bigger Reason He Came Second on American Idol

John Foster didn’t come in first on American Idol but let’s be real. The trophy ain’t what gets you to Nashville. It’s what you do after the cameras shut off ...

Dolly Parton stands on stage holding a microphone, wearing a white blazer and black gloves, speaking passionately with two pastel armchairs behind her under soft lighting.

Dolly Parton Reveals the Cost Behind the Career Everyone Thinks Is Perfect

Everyone wants the rhinestones. Nobody signs up for the grindstone. At 79 years old, Dolly Parton stood at the opening of her own Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit and ...

Tim McGraw and George Strait stand side by side onstage, smiling with arms raised and guitars in hand, sharing a moment of camaraderie and mutual respect during a live performance.

Tim McGraw Says He Passed on “Carrying Your Love With Me” Out of Respect for George Strait

Tim McGraw has never been short on hits. The guy basically owned the ’90s. But even legends have moments they look back on and think, “Damn, that one got away.” ...

Riley Green and Randy Houser perform with acoustic guitars onstage at Sand In My Boots Fest, honoring Toby Keith with fiery renditions of his classic songs.

Riley Green and Randy Houser Honor Toby Keith With His Classics at Sand In My Boots Fest

If you were down in Gulf Shores this weekend and didn’t feel the ground shake when Riley Green and Randy Houser tore into “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” check your pulse. ...

Tim McGraw speaks into a podcast microphone, reflecting on aging in country music and saying he's done singing about bikinis and tailgate parties at 58.

Tim McGraw Says He’s 58 Now and Done Singing About Bikinis and Tailgate Parties

Tim McGraw just reminded everyone in Nashville that growing older doesn’t mean growing irrelevant. It means growing up. On a recent episode of TL’s Road House with Tracy Lawrence, McGraw ...

Morgan Wallen sits beside his son in a utility vehicle, smiling as he embraces fatherhood—a turning point that made him more selective about the people in his life.

Becoming a Dad Made Morgan Wallen Rethink Who He Lets Near His Circle

Morgan Wallen didn’t wake up one day and decide to grow up. He got shoved into it. Hard. Fame, scandals, arrest headlines, and enough “my bads” to fill an entire ...

Blake Shelton and Michael Bublé smile onstage while holding microphones during their performance, blending country and pop charm under bright stage lights.

Blake Shelton Took Michael Bublé’s Song “Home” and Made It His Own Country Classic

Blake Shelton didn’t just cover “Home.” He stole it, wrapped it in twang, threw a Miranda Lambert harmony on it, and turned a pop ballad into the most important song ...

Leave a Comment

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.