He Was Ready to Say Goodbye to Country Music—Then Life Handed Him One Last Beautiful Surprise. ML
Alan Jackson made headlines last week when he announced the date and location for his retirement show.
And, while he is beloved and the fans are still turning out for him, the 66 year old’s reasons for walking away make sense. He has been battling a rare disease that has taken a toll on him, and he wants to spend time with family.
And just days after he announced that final show, he learned that he will have a little bit more family to spend time with, too. That is because Jackson’s oldest daughter, Mattie Jackson Smith, announced on Instagram that she and her husband, Connor Smith, are expecting their second child.
“The most amazing news we are beyond excited to share — our little wild angle is going to be a big brother!” she wrote alongside a photo with Connor and their son. “Baby GIRL Smith coming February 2026. Thank you, Lord God.”
Taste of Country reported that this will be the third grandchild for Alan and his wife, Denise.
Jackson announced last week that “Last Call: One More For The Road — The Finale,” will take place on June 27, 2026 at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
A big part of the decision was simply his desire to spend more time with family.
“I’ve been touring for over 30 years, you know, played everywhere in the country and parts of the world,” Jackson said when he announced his farewell tour. “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. Enjoy spending more time at home, and don’t want to be away like I had to be in my younger days, and I don’t tour as much now as I did 10 years ago. But I think it’s getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time.”
That’s not the only reason for ramping the career down, though. The singer has been dealing with a rare genetic condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. It is a chronic neuropathy condition that affects a person’s balance and ability to walk, and it apparently runs in his family. He cited that, too, while explaining why he was retiring this year.
“Most of my fans know I have a degenerative health condition that affects my legs and arms and my mobility that I got from my daddy and it’s getting worse,” he said. “So, it makes me more uncomfortable on stage, and I just have a hard time, and I just want to think about maybe calling it quits before I’m unable to do the job like I want to.”
That is sad news, of course, but the good news is that he is still well enough to go out there one more time and put on a huge final show because some major country music names are slated to take part with him. That list includes Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Lee Ann Womack. And there are reportedly more big names to come.
“We just felt like we had to end it all where it all started for me, and that’s in Nashville — Music City — where country music lives,” Jackson said.
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