Country music lost a great one today.
The ’90s country legend and country music icon, Toby Keith, passed away today, following a long battle with stomach cancer. Keith had revealed that he was battling stomach cancer in 2022, after undergoing month and months of treatment. He recently returned to the stage, and was hoping to try and tour again, however at just 62 years old, the Big Dog Daddy has succumbed to this awful illness.
Toby is well known for his patriotic songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” “Made In America,” “American Ride,” “American Solider” and more, and perhaps nobody has spent more time entertaining American troops overseas than Toby Keith has.
His friend Kid Rock spoke to Fox News about his commitment to America’s heroes:
“We used to joke about who went over there more, me and him have 10, if not 20 times each, spending Christmas, Thanksgiving… whenever we were called we went to do it, and sometimes we called them and went to do it.
It was the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done in our careers but it was also the most work. He probably went more than I did, what a great patriot… people forget how long these wars were. These were 10 plus years of going all the time… we used to joke ‘isn’t there some younger kids that should be going over at this point?’
Can’t say enough great things about him, he was just a great, great man and he was a lot of fun, so funny. My heart goes out to his family, and his friends here in Nashville, but especially I’m thinking of his family right now…. long live Big Dog.”
He also said he considered blowing off a gig to go see Toby Keith in Las Vegas recently, and he’ll forever regret it:
“Man, I’m gonna regret… I was just out in Las Vegas when he was playing and I had this commitment, and I told my fiancée ‘I should just blow this commitment off and go see Toby.’ I just felt that was what I should do, and I didn’t, and I’m gonna regret that. I didn’t know it was in this stage, unfortunately.”
RIP Toby.
