Over the length of his 30 year career, Toby Keith has been responsible for 20 number one hits, including “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “How Do You Like Me Now?” But his success and influence over the industry goes even further than that with Keith even being partially responsible for Taylor Swift’s career. In recent years the country singer’s health had been on the decline, and sadly, his family confirmed his passing yesterday.
What do we know about Toby Keith’s cause of death?
According to the statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) by his family, Keith “passed peacefully” on Monday after a long fight with stomach cancer. The “Red Solo Cup” singer had been battling the illness for more than two years after being diagnosed back in 2021, although he didn’t reveal his diagnosis until mid 2022. However, he didn’t let his illness stop him from performing with Keith headlining shows in Las Vegas last December.
Things seemed more promising even before that, earlier last year, in September the singer spoke with E! News and updated fans regarding his health at the time. The tumor was being treated with chemotherapy, and it seemed like the treatment was working, as his tumor had supposedly shrunk in size by a third and Keith seemed generally quite positive.
“It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and gown. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”
His return to the stage in Las Vegas looked to be the start of a comeback for the popular singer but unfortunately his stomach cancer ultimately put an end to those plans. Despite that, his music and lifetime of achievements live on.