Country music icon Toby Keith has died at the age of 62,This was according to a statement on his website.He earlier stated that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, which he described as “debilitating”.According to the statement, he “fought his fight with grace and dignity”.Millions of people enjoyed hits like Who’s Your Daddy and Made in America over his more than 30-year career. He was survived by his wife, Tricia Lucus, and three children.Toby Keith stated that he had been undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery for his cancer.He stated that he was “comfortable with whatever happened” regarding his disease.He was a semi-professional American football player and an oilfield worker from Oklahoma.Prior to his breakthrough as a musician in the 1990s, he was a player.His debut single, Should’ve Been a Cowboy, which was released in 1993, reached number one.The song romanticizes the cowboy lifestyle, referring to singing cowboys Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.Keith performed his first headlining shows since his cancer diagnosis in December 2023 at Park MGM in Las Vegas.“Hey everybody! This is Toby Keith. It’s been a while. You know what I’ve been doing — been on the old rollercoaster, but Almighty’s riding shotgun. He’s letting me drive for some reason, but we’re making a big announcement,” said Keith in a video shared to YouTube announcing the shows. “I’m doing a little deal and thought I’d start in the great Las Vegas.”“It’ll be my first two shows. They’re kind of rehab shows — get the band back in sync, get me rolling again,” he added. “First time in my whole life I’ve been off over two years. I’ve never been off a year in my life.”“Through COVID and cancer, the old devil’s been after me a little bit,” Keith continued.“I’ve got him by the horns right now, so instead of just sitting around and waiting, we’re gonna get the band back together.”Keith has played for several US presidents, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Trump also honored him with the National Medal of Arts in 2021.
