Tim McGraw will step in for Glen Campbell at the 87th Oscars to perform the country music icon’s Best Original Song nominee, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.”
The song, co-written by Campbell and Julian Raymond for the documentary “Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me,” is among four other nominees: “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Glory” from “Selma,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”
Campbell himself is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and is in an assisted-living facility specializing in Alzheimer’s care in Tennessee. He is no longer able to perform the song, which was his final recording and is a poignant farewell in which the singer tells his wife that she’s the last person he’ll ever love, but that he won’t remember her.
So far, show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have announced a performer taking the stage for each nominee, with the exception of “Everything Is Awesome.” The other three songs will be performed on the Oscars by the artists who did the original film versions: “Glory” by John Legend and Common, “Lost Stars” by Adam Levine and “Grateful” by Rita Ora.
“We couldn’t think of anyone better than Tim McGraw to properly celebrate Oscar nominee, Glen Campbell,” Zadan and Meron said in a statement. “Tim is the consummate country artist and will bring a bit of Nashville to the Oscars stage.”
“I’ll Be Me” follows Campbell on his final tour with his family band after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee Julianne Moore has garnered critical praise for portraying the devastating effects of the degenerative brain disease in “Still Alice,” the documentary gives audiences unfamiliar with the disease a rare and real glimpse into the life of someone struggling to fight it.
In the last decade, three songs from documentaries have been nominated for Oscars, and one, Melissa Etheridge’s “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth,” won.
“I’m honored to be asked to sing this powerful song from one of the true legends of the music industry,” McGraw said in a statement.
The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be broadcast on Feb. 22 live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on ABC.
Watch the music video for the song.
Steve Pond contributed to this story.