Classic country music star Toby Keith died yesterday after losing a long battle with stomach cancer. The singer, known for his energetic hit songs like “Red Solo Cup” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!”, was 62 years old and had been battling cancer ever since his diagnosis in 2021. Despite his generally positive outlook on the struggle, his family released a statement today stating that Toby Keith had “passed peacefully” in his sleep. He is survived by his wife, three children, and a decades-long impact on the world of country music.
Toby Keith Fought With “Grace and Courage”, Says Family
Toby Keith was born Toby Keith Covel in 1961. Born and raised on a farm in Oklahoma, he got his start in music when he and some friends formed Easy Money, a band that played in local bars and concerts. During his time with the band, Keith would meet Tricia Lucus, and the couple was married in 1984. Around the same time, he briefly deviated from his music career to play semi-pro football with the Oklahoma City Drillers.
After moving to Nashville in the early 90s, Toby Keith made his big break after signing a record deal with Mercury Records. His debut single, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy”, was met with meteoric success, rising to number one on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart in 1993. His career would continue to rise through the 90s and early 2000s, with chart-topping hits like “Who’s That Man” (1994), “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying” (1997), and “How Do You Like Me Now?!” (1999). In 1999, Keith would leave Mercury Records for Dreamworks Records.
Developing A Performer’s Identity Post 9/11 – Enter the Red Solo Cup Era
In 2001, Toby Keith was awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year awards. He made a splash with “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”, which was released just a few months after 9/11. In the same album, “Beer For My Horses”, a duet with icon Willie Nelson, would become his longest-lasting hit single ever. Between 2001 and 2002, Keith’s discography saw him forming a musical identity marked with brash humor, patriotism, and confidence, a legacy that would remain in his music for decades.
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Elle King’s Musical Future Hazy Amid Derogatory Tribute to Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole OpryToby Keith left Dreamworks Records after the label went out of business in 2005, starting his own label, Show Dog Nashville, where remained for the rest of his career. He would spend the rest of the 2000s building an identity as an earnest, patriotic performer who didn’t care much about what other people think and was not afraid to let loose and party hard once in a while. Nothing embodied this better than “Red Solo Cup”, a 2011 party anthem that would become his best-rated crossover. In an interview, Keith himself once called it “the stupidest song I ever heard in my life” but said it was “so stupid it [was] good.”
In 2015, Toby Keith’s legacy was cemented with his induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Two years later, his album The Bus Songs would top the Billboard Comedy Charts for an impressive 11 weeks, reaching sixth place on the Country Album Charts. Over the years, he’s leaned into his class-clown image, even going so far as to team up with fellow country music artists Brantley Gilbert and Hardy for “The Worst Country Song of All Time”, a satirical track released in 2021.
Toby Keith’s Battle With Cancer & Death
Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games, and things took a more serious turn not long after that. In June of 2022, Toby Keith announced that he had been undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery for six months after he’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer in fall 2021. When speaking about his diagnosis in September 2023, he told E! News the following as he walked the red carpet for the People’s Choice Country Awards alongside his wife of 40 years.
It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and gown. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”
Toby Keith
Not long after giving that interview, Toby Keith played three shows at Park MGM in Las Vegas, his first headlining shows since revealing his diagnosis. Even in the face of his declining health, Keith remained optimistic, calling COVID and cancer “the old devil” and stating he had him “by the horns”, so he was taking the opportunity to get back on stage. Despite his optimism, Toby Keith would eventually lose his battle with cancer, a fight that his family says he fought with “grace and courage.”
With his death to cancer at age 62, Toby Keith leaves behind a 30-year career that got him eighteen awards total from the Academy of Country Music, the Country Music Association, and even Billboard itself. He was a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He even performed for the last three US Presidents, and was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Donald Trump in 2021.
Toby Keith is survived by his wife Tricia, their three children, and three grandchildren.