Country music legend Toby Keith dies at 62 after brave stomach cancer battle

A symbol of country music and a leading genre representative, Toby Keith had an almost 30-year-long career during which he released 19 studio albums. His passing occurred overnight on February 5, with confirmation shared via the musician's social media platforms.

Toby Keith passed away peacefully in the early hours of February 5, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He fought this disease with grace and courage. We kindly ask for privacy for his family during this tragic time - reads the announcement on his Instagram profile.

Toby Keith received his diagnosis towards the end of 2021 and began treatment almost straight away.

I've devoted the last six months to chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. For now, everything's progressing well. I need some time to breathe, heal, and rest up - he stated in June 2022.

In the subsequent months, while talking to reporters, he depicted the disease as "debilitating". Despite his condition, he claimed to feel rather well, though the prognosis hadn't been very promising.

Everything seems to follow a really positive trend overall, but with cancer, you just never know, so it's best to be prepared - he said in June 2023.

Keith was born on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma, and brought up in the outskirts of Oklahoma City. Not only was he a singer, but Toby Keith was also a songwriter, actor, and music producer.

Throughout his career, he produced 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, selling over 40 million records altogether. 61 of his tracks have made it onto the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with 21 reaching the number one spot.

Among Keith's most popular songs are "Should've Been a Cowboy", "Beer for my Horses", and "As Good as I Once Was". In January 2021, he was awarded the Medal of Arts by President Donald Trump.