Toby Keith Obituary

By Jacob King

Country singer Toby Keith died on Monday, February 5th, 2024. The singer, known for his hit songs “Red Solo Cup” and “Should Have Been a Cowboy” passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. In the fall of 2021, Keith was diagnosed with stomach cancer, the cause of his death.

Toby Keith Covel was born on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma. Keith was raised on a farm outside of Oklahoma City, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In high school, he worked as a rodeo hand, but moved to work in the oil fields after he graduated. During this time in his life, Keith would perform in bars at night with a band called Easy Money, displaying his lifelong love for country music. 

This led to him meeting his wife of 40 years, Tricia Lucus, who he married in 1984 after three years of dating. Keith adopted Lucus’ daughter, Shelley Covel Rowland, and had two more children, daughter Krystal in 1985 and son Stelen in 1997.

Keith would play in the minor football league for a period while also performing on the honky-tonk circuit. In the early 1990’s, he secured a solo record deal with Mercury Records, and in 1993 he released his No. 1 hit single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”. The song became the most played song on country radio of the decade and his self-titled debut album was certified platinum.

Keith’s success continued through the 90’s and into the early 2000’s with 1999’s “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and 2000’s “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This”. He also collaborated with other musical artists such as Sting and Willie Nelson.

Songs about the cowboy lifestyle and patriotism resonated with Keith’s fans, making him one of the top artists of the genre. During his career, he was awarded the entertainer of the year award five times at the ACM Awards. ACM also gave Keith the prestigious Merle Haggard spirit award in 2021. In 2015, Keith was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2021 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Expanding beyond music, in 2005 Keith opened the popular restaurant chain I Love This Bar & Grill which was named after his 2003 hit “I Love This Bar.” Throughout his career, Keith played for U.S. presidents including George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, who awarded him the National Medal of the Arts in 2021.

In June 2022, Keith revealed that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer the previous fall and spent six months undergoing treatment. In September 2023, he spoke about his cancer diagnosis while attending the People’s Choice Country Awards.

“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 said in an interview with E! News.

Throughout his battle with cancer, Keith remained in high spirits, which he attributed to his faith.

“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,” Keith said in a YouTube video announcing shows in Las Vegas. “Through COVID and cancer the old devil’s been after me a little bit. I’ve got him by the horns right now…”

The Oklahoma community quickly showed their love for the artist following his passing, including Oklahoma natives Carrie Underwood and Kristin Chenoweth who expressed on Facebook how much Keith will be missed.

“We’re gonna miss you, Toby, but my heart has no doubt that you are standing in the presence of our King right now!!! See you again someday, friend,” Underwood said in a Facebook post.

Keith is survived by his wife, three children and three grandchildren.