Dolly speaks.
Last night, it was announced by his family that country hitmaker Toby passed away at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer:
“Toby Keith passed away 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.”
And of course, tributes have been flowing in for the country legend. He made an impact on so many people through his music, but the stories about his character and the kind of man he was stand out to me above everything else.
I think we’ve all been taking a look back and reminiscing on all of the great music he brought us too, so much so that many of his albums have been charting on iTunes, including his 35 Biggest Hits is album, which is sitting at the #1 spot.
While many of his fellow country artists have had something to say about the sadness and profound impact of such a big loss, it always feels like Dolly Parton’s words always hold a little bit more weight.
She put out a statement on her social media calling him “one of the greats in every way,” and while it was short and sweet, I don’t think I’ve seen a more concise or accurate tribute thus far:
“It’s always hard when we lost our brothers and sisters in country music. Toby Keith was one of the greats in every way.
He will be missed but his music and legacy will live on. Love, Dolly.”
Perfectly said, Dolly:
Keith, an Oklahoma native, burst on to the country music scene in 1993 with breakout single “Shoulda Been A Cowboy,” which went on to become the most played country song of the ’90s.
During his illustrious career, he released nearly 20 studio albums, had 20 #1 singles, and won dozens of awards including multiple ACM Entertainer of the Year awards.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. Keith is survived by his wife, Tricia, three children and four grandchildren.
RIP to a country music legend.
