Toby Keith — the popular country singer known for hits like “As Good As I Once Was,” “Red Solo Cup,” “Beer For My Horses,” and “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” — is dead at 62 years old. The news was confirmed in an update shared on his social media pages, which reads, “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”
Keith’s longtime publicist Elaine Schock also confirmed the death to CNN.
In June 2022, Keith revealed he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, writing on social media, “Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax. I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.”
In June 2023, Keith said his tumor had shrunk by a third. At the People’s Choice Country Awards that September, Keith offered another health update, saying, “I feel pretty good. It’s a little bit of 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 began his career with his self-titled 1993 debut album, which was followed by a string of top-10 country albums throughout the rest of the decade. He had a handful of No. 1 albums in the 2000s and 2010s: 2002’s Unleashed, 2003’s Shock’n Y’all, 2007’s Big Dog Daddy, and 2010’s Bullets In The Gun. The final Keith album released during his lifetime was 2021’s Peso In My Pocket, his 19th LP.
Keith’s debut single, 1993’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” was a hit, topping the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He ultimately had many more country No. 1’s, but his biggest crossover success was the 2011 single “Red Solo Cup,” which peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100.
This past December, Keith played a run of headlining concerts at Park MGM in Las Vegas, his first shows since revealing his cancer diagnosis. His final performance, of that run and overall, was on December 14.
