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Toby Keith, Country Music Singer-Songwriter, Dead at 62

CultureCelebs
By Caitlin Berard
February 6, 2024 | 6:16 a.m. CST
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Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Country star Toby Keith, known for hits such as “Red Solo Cup” and “How Do You Like Me Now?!” has died. He was 62.

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As confirmed by his family, the singer-songwriter “passed peacefully” on Monday night after a two-year battle with stomach cancer.

“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5 surrounded by his family,” Keith’s loved ones wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”

Toby Keith was first diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2022. The following year, he spoke out about his condition at the People’s Choice Country Awards.

“I feel pretty good,” Keith, whose tumor was shrinking at the time, told E! News. “It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and gown. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”

At the time, Toby Keith explained that, out of all of the accomplishments in his life, his songwriting made him the proudest. “Those years of pounding those songs out there and remembering where you were when each one was conceived and all that, it’s amazing,” he said.

Country Fans Mourn the Late Toby Keith

The country star would no doubt be proud to know, then, that his fans are remembering him for just that.

“Rest In Peace to a freaking legend. Raising a red solo cup today,” one fan wrote. “RIP to one of the legends of country music. Now let me raise my ‘Red Solo Cup’ in his honor, the party staple,” another said.

“Man…Toby was a really great musician, he had a lot of songs that I love to hear still today when I’m on a country fix. But ‘Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue’ is forever one of my favorites. Hearing that one could make you wanna run through brick walls, waving an American flag, as eagles fly with you,” added another.