Toby Keith Gives Update on Cancer Struggle

Toby Keith is opening up about his “roller coaster” stomach cancer battle. Before taking the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Thursday night to accept the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards, the country singer gave an update on his health, telling E! News that he was feeling “pretty good.”

“I feel pretty good,” Keith told the outlet. “It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”

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Keith, who announced his diagnosis last June, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021. In a statement shared to Instagram, the “Beer for My Horse” singer said he “spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation, and surgery,” adding, “so far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax. I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.” In an update in June of this year, the “Red Solo Cup” singer told The Oklahoman, “Basically, everything is in a real positive trend.” Keith explained that he was currently continuing chemotherapy treatment and was also taking immunotherapy and working with a nutritionist. He also revealed that his tumor shrunk by a third.

Amid his battle, Keith took a slight step away from music to focus on his health, though he expressed a desire to return to the stage. In December 2022, the singer told CMT Hot 20 Countdown, “I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up. It’s pretty debilitating to have to go through all that, but as long as everything stays hunky-dory, then we’ll look at something good in the future.” He later told The Oklahoman that he was “thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.”

After walking the red carpet Thursday night alongside his wife Tricia Lucus, Keith delivered a comeback performance, his first major awards show performance in six years. The singer treated the crowd and viewers tuning in from home to a performance of his song, “Don’t Let The Old Man In.” Moments before his performance, Keith accepted the Country Icon Award from fellow Oklahoma native Blake Shelton, the singer giving a shout-out to everyone who helped “a career like this of 30 years.” He also thanked his fans, sharing, “Most of all, I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do. So God bless you. Thank you.”