At the ACM awards, Alan Jackson was presented with an achievement that had him welling up on stage. It's been an emotional couple of years for the country music icon as he struggles with a health issue that has forced him to retire from touring.
Videos by Wide Open Country
For more than ten years, Alan Jackson has suffered from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This illness, effecting the nerves that connect his brain and spinal cord to the rest of his body, has seriously affected his balance. Because of this, he has made the tough decision to step back from performing and touring.
But, before he leaves the scene completely, he is saying his farewells. He has organized one last tour, and played a final show at the ACM awards. Alan Jackson performed 'Remember When' and left hardly a single dry in the room.
After his performance, Alan Jackson was awarded the ACM Lifetime Achievement award. Reba McEntire presented the trophy, and it was an emotional moment all around.
Alan Jackson Pays His Respects To All Country Music Has Done For Him
Gracefully receiving the well earned ACM Lifetime Achievement Award, Alan Jackson made his speech. "A few years ago, one of my fans named their dog after me, and I thought that was something, but this really is amazing," he joked.
"I do wanna especially thank one person that's been my best friend since I was 17 years old, and that's my wife Denise out there," Alan Jackson gushed to an emotional ACM Awards audience. "She's loved me through the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, influenced me, given me three beautiful daughters and helped me keep my feet on the ground all these years."
Despite retiring from touring and performance, Alan Jackson will still be able to produce music. You can take him off the stage, but you can't take the music from him. I hope we will still see Alan Jackson producing music. He hopefully won't retire from the genre that he gave so much to and built a life around.
