Country Music Icon Toby Keith Passes Away at 62 Years Old
On Monday, the world lost a giant: Toby Keith. He was the brains behind several No. 1 country singles, including "Who's Your Daddy?" and "Made in America," and one of the most prominent figures to emerge from Nashville in the past 30 years. His age was 62.
His official website broke the news of his passing. His place of death was not specified in the statement. Elaine Schock, who was Mr. Keith's publicist, simply stated that he passed away in Oklahoma, his birthplace.
It was in the summer of 2022 when Mr. Keith made the announcement that he was undergoing treatment for stomach cancer, which included radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.
Mr. Keith, who performed a string of concerts in Las Vegas in December, recently confirmed to KWTV, a TV station in Oklahoma City, that he was still undergoing therapy. "Cancer is nothing short of a roller coaster," he said
It might never go away, so all you can do is sit here and hope it does. He claimed that his Christian religion was a source of strength as he faced the treatment and its potentially devastating consequences.
"Beer for My Horses," a twangy rocker in the vein of the Rolling Stones that included Willie Nelson as a guest vocalist, crossed over to the pop Top 40. The song was built around witty wordplay and droll humor, with more than a little macho bluster. Both songs topped the Billboard country chart.
Much of Mr. Keith's music, which spanned genres from classic honky-tonk to pop-country balladry and Southern rock, was either written by him or with him. He had over 40 million album sales globally and over 60 singles that peaked on the country charts, including 20 number one hits.
Among the 2015 inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame were Cyndi Lauper, blues legend Willie Dixon, Grateful Dead members Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia, and himself.