As he stared down the cancer that would ultimately claim his life, Toby Keith leaned on his faith and made peace with every possible outcome.
In an interview with Oklahoma-based CBS affiliate News 9, which was filmed just weeks before he died on Monday (Feb. 5), Keith affirmed that he felt calm about the possibility that he might not survive his illness.
“I finally got to a point in the spring — I was diagnosed in October of ’21, and I was going through all the chemo, first time I’d been through chemo and radiation, surgery,” the singer recounted. “I got to the point where I was comfortable with whatever happened. I had my brain wrapped around it, and I was in a good spot either way.
“… Cancer is a roller coaster,” he reflected during the interview. “It’s like, you just sit here and wait on it to go away — it may not ever go away. Even if it goes in remission, it’ll still be in the back of your mind. You’re still gonna have to do scans and stuff.”
In that interview, Keith said he owed that sense of calm to his relationship with his faith. “People without faith don’t have that,” he remarked, adding that cancer was a powerful reminder to never take his faith for granted.
“You take it for granted on the days that things are good, and you lean on it when days are bad. It has taught me to lean on [it] a little more every day,” Keith said.
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How Did Toby Keith Die?
Keith died on Feb. 5 at the age of 62, according to a statement shared to his website and social media pages.
He had been battling stomach cancer for over two years, a diagnosis he announced to fans in summer 2022. Though he took time off to undergo treatment and rest, he vowed to return to the stage whenever possible. He kept that promise with a series of pop-up shows in Oklahoma, a televised performance of “Don’t Let the Old Man In” at the People’s Choice Country Awards and three sold-out shows in Las Vegas in December.
Keith is survived by Tricia Lucus, his wife of almost 40 years, and their three children, Shelley, Krystal and Stelen. He is also survived by multiple grandchildren and extended family.
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