Toby Keith Dead at 62 Following Stomach Cancer Diagnosis – Toby Keith, the larger-than-life singer-songwriter of No. 1 country hits like “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Made in America” and one of the biggest stars to come out of Nashville in three decades, died.
“[He] passed peacefully last night… surrounded by his family,” a statement on his social media channels said.
Keith rose to fame in the 1990s with songs such as Should’ve Been a Cowboy which topped the country music chart.
He announced in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, an illness the star said was “debilitating”.
The statement said he “fought his fight with grace and dignity”.
Over a more than 30-year career, hits including Who’s Your Daddy and Made in America were enjoyed by millions. He is survived by his wife, Tricia Lucus, and three children.
Toby Keith Dead at 62 Following Stomach Cancer Diagnosis:
Keith said he had been receiving chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for his cancer. He said he was “comfortable with whatever happened” with his illness.
An Oklahoma native, he worked in oil fields and as a semi-professional American Football player before breaking out as a musician in the 1990s.
His debut single Should’ve Been a Cowboy, released in 1993, became a number one hit. The song romanticises the cowboy lifestyle with reference to singing cowboys Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.
Later albums included Blue Moon, Pull My Chain and Unleashed.
Keith’s songs frequently made reference to patriotic themes, most controversially with the song Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (The Angry American), released shortly after the 9/11 attacks, which was criticised for what some perceived as chauvinistic lyrics.
The song was criticised by fellow country artists the Dixie Chicks. The feud lasted several months before Keith announced there were “far more important things” to focus on.
Over the years, he played at events for several US presidents, including George W Bush. Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Mr Trump awarded Keith a National Medal of the Arts in 2021.
Toby Keith Covel was born on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Okla., the second of three children of Carolyn Joan (Ross) Covel and Hubert K. Covel Jr. His father worked as a derrickhand in the oil industry. His mother was an aspiring singer who abandoned her musical pursuits to become a homemaker.
Toby Keith, Larger-Than-Life Country Music Star, Dies:
Mr. Keith grew up primarily in Moore, Okla., a suburb of Oklahoma City. He got his first guitar at age 8, and later spent summers with his grandmother in Fort Smith, Ark., doing odd jobs at her supper club and occasionally sitting in with the house band.
After graduating from high school, he worked alongside his father in the oil fields, eventually becoming a supervisor. At 20, he and several friends formed a group called the Easy Money Band and started playing in local bars before graduating to the Texas and Oklahoma roadhouse circuit.
Mr. Keith’s first foray into the Nashville music scene found him busking on street corners and knocking on doors, to no avail, along the city’s Music Row. It was not until a fan who worked as a flight attendant slipped his demo tape to the producer Harold Shedd, known for his work with stars like Reba McEntire and Shania Twain, that he secured a contract with Mercury Records.
His debut album for the label, titled “Toby Keith,” produced four Top 10 country singles and was certified platinum for sales of one million copies.
In 2005 he founded Show Dog Nashville, an independent label, for which he continued to have success, notably with a series of alcohol-themed singles like “Get My Drink On” and “Get Drunk and Be Somebody.” “Red Solo Cup,” a country-rap number, hit No. 1 on the country chart and crossed over to the pop Top 20 in 2011.
Mr. Keith is survived by his mother; his wife of 39 years, Tricia (Lucus) Keith; two daughters, Shelley Covel and Krystal Sandubrae; a son, Stelen; a sister, Tonnie; a brother, Tracy; and four grandchildren.
