After spending over three decades of his life on the road touring and singing, country music legend Alan Jackson announced on Saturday, May 17, that he is hanging up his famous cowboy hat for good, saying that he had performed his final tour ever, with just one performance, scheduled for a year from now, left in him. That momentous announcement occurred after his show in Milwaukee, the final stop of his “Last Call: One More for the Road Tour.”

Jackson’s announcement about the end of his career as a touring musician came as he spoke during a short and sweet message he shared at the end of his Milwaukee concert, during which he announced that he’d be doing one more show in Nashville but otherwise was tapped out after spending decades on the road touring.

Beginning the speech, Jackson noted that he is in fact winding down and wrapping up, saying, “Y’all may have heard that I’m kinda winding down. In fact, this is my last roadshow of my career.” Then, trying to get through the obviously quite emotional video, with tears in his eyes, he said, “Y’all gonna make me tear up out here.

He added that though things were wrapped up in Milwaukee, where his final tour ended, he still will be doing one more show. He said, “I will say that this is my last road show out here, but we’re planning on doing a big finale show in Nashville next summer sometime. I just felt like I had to end it all where it all started, and that’s in Nashville, Tennessee. But this is the last one out on the road for me.”

Further, the country music legend added that his decision to quit touring is coming after not just more than 30 years on the road, but nearly forty years of work in the country music field, and that it has been a wonderful and wild ride all the while. He said, “It’s been a long, sweet ride. It started 40 years ago this September.”

And, nostalgically commenting on how it all began and how he got going, Jackson noted that it started when he and his wife moved to Nashville together to chase the dream of being a star. He said, “My wife and I drove to Nashville with an ol’ UHaul trailer, and chased this dream. It’s been a crazy ride. I lived the American dream for sure. So blessed.”

Adding to Jackson’s reasons to retire is that he has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a nerve condition that degrades motor skills. Speaking about it during a “Today” show interview, he said, “I have this neuropathy and neurological disease. It’s genetic that I inherited from my daddy. There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years. And it’s getting more and more obvious.”

He added, “I know I’m stumbling around stage now. I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone. I just feel very uncomfortable.” Further, he said, “In some ways it’s a relief [to talk about it] because I was starting to get so self-conscious up there about stumbling around. I think it’ll be good for me now to get it out in the open. If anybody’s curious at why I don’t walk right, that’s why.”

Watch him here: