The ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy’ singer died at 62 after suffering from Stomach Cancer for the last 18 months (He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in June, 2022). A short statement published in his official website and ‘X’ handle (Formerly Twitter) said, “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage”. It also urged to respect the privacy of his family at this time.
In June 2022, Keith revealed that he had been receiving chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery. Last year in an interview with the Oklahoman newspaper, he informed that the tumor had shrunk by a third. He also described his experience of going through the treatment with 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,” Keith told E! News before receiving the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards.
Toby Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, and brought up in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma city. Keith went on to become an icon to the young generation before emerging as a country artist in the early 1990s. Keith set up a history of selling 25 to 30 million records in the United States and his songs had more than 10 billion digital streaming plays.
He wrote his first single ‘‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy’ in a motel washroom in Dodge City, Kansas. This song was selected from his debut album and came out in 1993. It soon was positioned at the top of the country charts in the US and Canada. It went on becoming one of the most played tunes on radio in the 90s decade and beyond. A duet song ‘Beer for my Horses’ with Willie Nelson was one of his hit songs along with ‘I Love This Bar’ and ‘Red Solo Cup’.
His most recent album, “100% Songwriter,” was released in November.
Keith believed in the Mantra “The show must go on”. So he continued to record and perform during his illness. He appeared live on three nights in Las Vegas in December 2023. His official website informed us that he sang many of his 32 No. 1 hits and 42 top 10 hits. He even wrote on his instagram post – “3 sold out shows in Vegas was a damn good way to end the year.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum remembered Keith as someone who was “big, brash, and never bowed down or slowed down for anyone.”