Toby Keith, 62, known for his hit song "Should Have Been a Cowboy," "passed peacefully" on Monday night (Feb. 5) while surrounded by his family.
"He fought his fight with grace and courage," the statement read on social media.
In June of 2022, Keith announced he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer to fans on social media and that he'd been "receiving chemo, radiation, and surgery."
His biggest crossover hit, “Red Solo Cup," was a hilarious dedication to “the best receptacle for barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals” sung in a quasi-drunken mumble and reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.
With 32 No.1 singles and sold over 40 million albums, Toby Keith was regarded as one of country music’s biggest hitmakers. He wrote a chart-topping hit every year for 20 consecutive years, including “How Do You Like Me Now?!" "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)," "As Good As I Once Was," and "Beer for My Horses," a 2005 duet with Willie Nelson. ”
Last September, Toby Keith took home the Country Music Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards 2023. After accepting the award, he gave a speech that brought some levity to his cancer diagnosis and stunning weight loss, saying, "Bet you thought you'd never see me in skinny jeans." He also gave a moving performance of "Don't Let The Old Man In."
Toby Keith Covel was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, on July 8, 1961, and raised in Moore, Oklahoma City. His father, an Army veteran in the oil business, introduced him to Western swing artists Bob Wills and Merle Haggard and Southern rock bands like the Marshall Tucker Band. Keith played football during high school in Moore, Okla., and after graduation, he worked as a hand in the oil fields while playing gigs with his band, the Easy Money Band.
Toby Keith married Tricia Lucus in 1984, adopted her daughter Shelley Covel Rowland, and had two more daughters, Stelen Keith Covel and country singer Krystal Keith.
Heaven gained a real Cowboy. Rest In Peace, Toby.