A great man and a true patriot has finally been put to rest.
Country singer Toby Keith died Monday at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer.
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Just a few days before his death, Toby appeared in a video where he talked about a very special song – and looking back now, it’s hard to handle…
The pain and hassle of all the treatments is over.
Toby Keith, who touched us all with his iconic songs, passed away peacefully on February 5, surrounded by his family. Known as ‘Big Dog Daddy’, the Oklahoma-born singer rode into Nashville with some of the strongest material the city had seen in quite some time.
With his all-American, blue-collar style, he dominated country radio in the 1990s.
His 1993 debut single ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy’ will live on forever, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Toby Keith is one of the greatest artists the country genre has ever produced. With over 40 million albums sold and more than ten billion streams, Toby’s legacy is immortalized.
The 62-year-old singer was bold, brash, and never backed down or slowed down for anyone. However, when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021, we noticed a visible change in his appearance as he became noticeably thinner.
Toby Keith at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards held at The Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tammie Arroyo/Variety via Getty Images)
Many of us empathized with him and watched him battle against the vile cancer.
He underwent surgeries, chemo, and radiation — but it didn’t help.
During this difficult time, Toby always made sure to keep his fans updated on his condition. Last month, the singer once again talked about his health, in an interview with the NBC affiliate KUSA.
“It’s a lot of dark hallways,” Keith said.
“Cancer is a roller coaster, so it’s like, you just sit here and wait on it to go away, and it may not ever go away,” Keith added. “If it goes into remission, it will still be in the back of your mind.”
But Toby, who was an outspoken Christian, found strength in his faith.
“You take it for granted on the days that things are good, and you lean on it when days are bad,” Keith said. “It has taught me to lean on a little more every day.”
Just days before he died, the singer reflected on one of the first songs he wrote. Looking on it now, it’s deeply moving to witness Toby, in his struggles, recounting the origins of his career. In the video, he opens up about how he did a song about heartache at the age of 14.
”The first song I ever wrote, I was 14 or 15 years old, it was called ‘If You Had an Out of Heartache’ – it wasn’t bad, it was structured right, but it weren’t very good either,” he said and continued:
“But the people round here, when I played it, they were like, ‘Wow, that’s a great song.’
”It’s just a song, that was 5,000 songs ago.”
Toby’s final Instagram post, shared just a day before his passing, captured on of his last performances in Las Vegas, last year. The fans at the sold-out show had no inkling at the time, but it would ultimately stand as Keith’s final concert ever.
The country icon captioned the Instagram post with the haunting words: “And that’s a wrap on the weekend, y’all. Back to it.”
Little did we know at that moment that the devastating news of Toby’s passing would be broadcasted the day after. Nonetheless, once the news broke, his fans rushed to the comments section with their final praises for the country crooner.
“It’s sad that it was his last show and nobody knew,” someone wrote. Another added: “The people watching this had no idea how lucky they were to be there,” and a further comment read: “RIP Toby. You gave it your all until the very end.”
One person also commented: “Couldn’t imagine being in that crowd and waking up the next day realizing you just saw him for the last time…devastating.”
Another wrote: “The people watching this had no idea how lucky they were to be there….”
Another added: “RIP, what a sad thing to wake up to. Prayers lifted to his family. Toby was a true patriot, you will be missed but your music will continue.”
Toby is survived by his wife Tricia Lucus, whom he married in 1984, and their children: Shelley, 44; Krystal, 38; and their son Stelen, aged 27.
First we lost Jimmy Buffett and now Toby. Two of my favorite people. Now they will playing guitars and hanging out together once again!
RIP Toby. Heaven has gained another angel!