Country music is already making some pretty dramatic shifts this year, and we're only a few weeks into 2026. Recently, two major country stars announced that they are retiring. After watching their long, successful careers, it's safe to say we're sad to see them go.
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In May of 2024, Alan Jackson posted a video on his website informing fans that he was gearing up for a farewell tour.
"I've been touring for over 30 years, you know," the "Chatahoochee" singer began. "Played everywhere in the country and parts of the world. Have had a wonderful career, and getting into my twilight years, and all my daughters are grown, and I got one grandchild and one on the way." He said, definitively, "I think it's getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time."
Jackson also cited a "degenerative health condition" as the reason for his retirement. In 2011, the country singer was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder that can affect movement. He explained that he wants to "think about maybe calling it quits" before he can't perform the way he wants.
It's understandable, but still hard to see an icon like him step back from something he loves.
Jackson will play the last show of his Last Call: One More for the Road — The Finale Tour on June 27, 2026, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN. The show is slated to be a star-studded lineup with artists like Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, and Eric Church.
Alan Jackson Isn't the Only Country Singer Saying Goodbye to the Stage
Another country music legend, John Michael Montgomery, is also taking time away from the music scene, but for a slightly different reason. In a December interview, Montgomery revealed that COVID made him aware of the toll performing takes on him.
"At the end of the year, I noticed that my body and my voice — everything — felt so good from being rested and not traveling," he shared. "I didn't realize how hard traveling on the road was getting to me."
On December 12, 2025, the "I Swear" singer played his last show ever at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. This concluded his The Road Home tour as well.
He spoke a little bit more about how he plans to spend his twilight years. "I don't want my memories to be riding in a bus, living out of a bunk or hotel room. I want them to be more about seeing my family grow."
Again, his reason for saying goodbye makes sense. But that doesn't mean we're happy about it.
