(RepublicanReport.org) – Country music legend Toby Keith died after fighting a lengthy battle against stomach cancer. He reportedly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. The iconic singer-songwriter was 62 years old.
The news appeared on Keith’s website the day following his death. It stated that the musician had battled the disease “with grace and courage” and asked fans to respect his family members’ privacy as they grieved their loss.
Keith opened up about his treatment in June 2022 on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He shared that he had received his diagnosis the fall prior, but he’d received chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery over the previous six months and felt good about his progress at that time. The country singer-songwriter said he looked forward to seeing his fans, which he said would be closer to “sooner than later.”
Keith’s music career began in the mid-1980s when he played the Texas and Oklahoma honky-tonk bar circuit with the Easy Money Band. The country singer moved on to Nashville in the early 1990s, where he busked and shared his demo tape. A copy of his music eventually found its way to Mercury Records executive Harold Shedd, who offered him a recording contract after viewing one of his live shows. Keith released his self-titled debut album in 1993, which brought him his first number-one country single, “I Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Shortly thereafter, he went on tour with John Brannen and Shania Twain.
Keith switched labels a few times before finding Dreamworks Records in 1999. He released “How Do You Like Me Now?!” that same year, and both the single and the album made multiple charts. The song stayed in country music’s #1 spot for five weeks and was country’s most popular song in 2000. The following year, Keith won Top Male Vocalist and Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music awards. He started his own record label, Show Dog Nashville, in 2005.
Keith’s final performance was in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 14, 2023.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanReport.org
