Remembering Toby Keith's Life, Career and Cancer Journey

Toby Keith was an icon in country music who built a dedicated following over his nearly 40-year career, while also garnering the love and respect of his peers. From songs like "Who's That Man" to "Beer for My Horses," Keith penned numerous tunes that have fans singing along to this day. Sadly, the beloved musician passed away early this year, leaving behind an illustrious legacy. Scroll down to learn more about Keith's life and career.

Early Life

Toby Keith was born Toby Keith Covel in Clinton, Oklahoma, in 1961. After graduating high school, he worked as a derrick hand for an oil company and eventually became a manager. It wasn't until he was in his early 20s that Keith began seriously pursuing music, first by firing the Easy Money Band with some friends. At one point, he played football for the semi-pro Oklahoma City Drillers, but continued to work on his music career.

Country Career

In the early '90s, Keith moved to Nashville and eventually released his hit debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy" — from his self-titled debut album — which soared to the number-one spot on country music radio. He would go on to record a total of five albums in the 1990s, though his career started to wain a little before he ended the decade with the platinum-selling record How Do You Like Me Now?!

2000s Resurgence

After How Do You Like Me Now?! was a big success, Keith went on to drop the double-platinum Pull My Chain in 2001. He then put out Unleashed in 2002 and Shock'n Y'all in 2003, both of which went 4X platinum. Keith's next two albums — Honkytonk University (2005) and White Trash with Money (2006) — both also went platinum. Keith's rise to superstardom in the 2000s rested on the popularity of songs such as "I Wanna Talk About Me," "Beer for My Horses" with Willie Nelson, and the post 9/11 tune "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," which is one of the highest-selling songs of his career, tied with his 2005 single "As Good as I Once Was."

Dixie Chicks Feud

After "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" was released, The Chicks member Natalie Maines openly stated that she found the song be "ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant." IN response, Keith responded began displaying a backdrop at his concerts that showed a photoshopped picture of Maines with then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Maines hit back by appearing at the 2003 Academy of Country Music Awards wearing a T-shirt with the letters "FUTK" on the front. A spokesperson for The Chicks stated that the acronym stood for "Friends United in Truth and Kindness," though Maines later revealed the truth during an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, admitting that it was meant to be about Keith but "thought that nobody would get it". Prior to Maines' confession, Keith stated that he was done feuding with her "because he's realized there are far more important things to concentrate on."

Acting

In the mid-2000s, Keith tried his hand at acting. His first major role was in Broken Bridges (2005), a drama film written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, and directed by Steven Goldmann. In the film, Keith played Bo Price, a washed-up country musician living in a small-town Tennessee. Additional Broken Bridges cast members include Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper, and Lindsey Haun.

Next up, Keith wrote and starred in the 2008 movie Beer for My Horses, based on his and Nelson's hit song of the same name. The film co-starred Nelson, Rodney Carrington, Ted Nugent, Barry Corbin, Claire Forlani, Curtis Armstrong, and Tom Skerritt. Unfortunately, the film severely underperformed at the box office, earning only $667,000 on a budget of $10 million. However, it was incredibly successful on home video, making more than $40 million on Blu-ray and DVD.

Marriage and Family

Keith married his wife Tricia Lucus in March 24, 1984. He was the father of three children: adopted daughter Shelley Covel Rowland, Krystal "Krystal Keith" LaDawn Covel Sandubrae, and son Stelen Keith Covel. Keith also had four grandchildren.

Cancer Diagnosis

In 2022, Keith announced that he'd be diagnosed with cancer in 2021. "Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer," Keith wrote in a June tweet. "I've spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax." The singer added, "I am looking forward to spending time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can't wait."

He later spoke about hopes to resume his music career during a CMT Hot 20 Countdown interview, saying, "I'm thinking about getting back in fighting shape. I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up." Keith added, "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."

pic.twitter.com/NfdLKGLQQe

— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) February 6, 2024

Return to the Stage

Amid his cancer battle, Keith delivered a surprise performance in November 2022, marking his first time playing to a crowd since his diagnosis. Billboard reported that Keith sang a few songs at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Lexington, Kentucky while he was visiting the city for the 2022 Breeder's World Cup Championship event, which was held at Keeneland Race Course.

In July 2023, Keith revealed that he'd held a rehearsal that ended up being a pop-up concert lasting hours. Weeks later, the singer shared a clip of himself singing one of his own songs while riding in an Uber. Finally, in late July, Keith took the stage again, performing as a celebration for Oklahoma University's softball team winning the National Championship.

Country Icon Award

In 2023, Keith was honored with the Country Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards, and the singer-songwriter delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech. After being given his award from fellow Oklahoman country singer Blake Shelton, Keith joked, "I bet you never thought y'all'd see me in skinny jeans." This seems to be a reference to weight loss stemming from his stomach cancer battle.

"I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he's been riding shotgun with me for a little while now," Keith continued, then going on to praise his family for their support. "I want to thank my beautiful family that's here," he said. "A lot of people go in and make a career like this of 30 years." After thanking many of the people on his team, Keith said, "Most of all. I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do. Have a wonderful evening, thank you!" The singer then went on to perform a tear-jerking rendition of "Don't Let the Old Man In."

Death

Country icon Toby Keith died on Feb. 5, 2024. His death comes after the singer battled cancer for the past few years. In a statement on his website, Keith's reps shared, "Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time."