Skip to main content

Country Music Star Toby Keith Dies of Cancer at 62

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 6, 2024.

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Feb. 6, 2024 -- Country singer Toby Keith, best known for chart-topping hits like "Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Made in America," has died at 62 from stomach cancer.

His death was announced on his website. Keith's publicist, Elaine Schock, told the New York Times that the National Medal of Arts recipient died in Oklahoma, where he lived his entire life.

Keith first announced his diagnosis with stomach cancer in the summer of 2022, noting at the time that he was being treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

“Cancer is a roller coaster. You just sit here and wait on it to go away -- it may not ever go away," Keith told Oklahoma City television station KWTV, the Times reported. He said his Christian faith helped get him through cancer treatments.

According to the American Cancer Society, close to 27,000 cases of stomach cancer are diagnosed among Americans each year and it causes almost 11,000 deaths annually. Men are more prone to the disease than women.

Keith was born Toby Keith Covel in 1961 in Clinton, Okla., to working class parents. He worked in the Oklahoma oil fields in his youth, all the while crafting his talent as a musician and songwriter in bands.

Keith didn't sign his first record deal until he was well into his 30s, the Times noted. His big break came in 1993, when “Should Have Been a Cowboy,” became Keith's first No. 1 country single.

Over the following decades, Keith amassed 60 singles on the country charts, including 20 number one hits. He sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and in 2015 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Keith is survived by his mother; his wife Tricia (Lucus) Keith; two daughters, Shelley Covel and Krystal Sandubrae; a son, Stelen; a sister, Tonnie; a brother, Tracy; and four grandchildren.

Sources

  • American Cancer Society, New York Times

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted February 2024

Read this next

Most Cancer Treatments Near End of Life Are Useless: Study

FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 -- Cutting-edge cancer treatments are essentially useless for patients barely clinging to life, a new study shows. Chemotherapies, immunotherapies, targeted...

Global Life Expectancy Could Rise By More Than 4 Years by 2050

FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 -- Life expectancy around the world is expected to increase by nearly 5 years in men and more than 4 years in women during the next three decades, researchers...

Plant-Based Diets Lower Risk of Heart Trouble, Cancer and Death

THURSDAY, May 16, 2024 -- Following a vegetarian or vegan diet might just buy you a longer, healthier life, a new review finds. Staying away from meat was tied to a reduced risk...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.