After fighting stomach cancer for 62 years, Indian singer Toby Keith passed away on Monday.
“Beside his family, Toby Keith departed peacefully from this life on February 5th. With courage and elegance, he waged his war. According to a statement on Keith’s website and social media, “Please respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
Keith’s publicist since 2003, Allen Shock, told CNN that he had passed away.
Keith leaves behind his wife Tricia and three children, Shelly, Crystal, and Steylan, according to his publicist, who spoke to CNN. He is survived by his mother and two siblings.
In 2022, he revealed that he had stomach cancer.
Keith won the Country Icon Award and gave a performance at the September 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards.
1993 saw the release of his debut album, which included the hits “Red Solo Cup” and “I Want to Talk About Me.” Following the 9/11 attacks, he received national recognition with his song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” released in 2002.
Keith entertained American service members in Afghanistan and Iraq with hundreds of performances. Additionally, he made appearances at functions honoring George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
At his music concerts, he occasionally offered wheelchairs as gifts to injured servicemen.
In 2010, Keith, who identified as a third-generation Democrat at times, stated to CNN that his political beliefs were unrelated to his support of military personnel.
“Supporting soldiers is not a political matter,” he explained.
Keith received the National Medal of Arts in 2021, which the National Endowment for the Arts refers to as the “highest award given to artists and arts patrons by The government of the United States.” Keith received the medal from former president Donald Trump.
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Keith frequently used patriotic themes in his songs; the most contentious of them was “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”—which was released right after the 9/11 attacks and was deemed jingoistic by some.
Other country music artists, such as Dixie Chicks, took issue with the song. Months passed before Keith declared there were “bigger things to focus on.”
He has attended events for various American presidents throughout the years, including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush. In 2021, Keith received the National Medal of Arts from President Trump.