Country music legend Toby Keith has died surrounded by his family after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
His family made the announcement with a statement on Monday.
"Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family. He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time," the message on social media read.
Keith was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2021, and took an indefinite break from recording new music and performing live. But he continued to fundraise for children's cancer research through his Toby Keith Foundation.
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) February 6, 2024
But he made a "triumphant" return to the stage in December with three sold-out shows in Las Vegas.
"It was a triumphant return. One hell of a night in Vegas. Ready to do it all over again tonight. #TobyInVegas," Keith posted to social media after the first show.
Before his sold-out Las Vegas run, Keith also made an appearance at the People's Choice Country Awards (PCCA) in Nashville in September, where he was crowned an icon of country music.
"It's nice to recognize my 30-year career," he told E! News on the red carpet ahead of receiving the award.
"It's pretty mind-boggling. Those years of pounding those songs out and remembering where you were when each one was conceived, it's amazing."
Despite his diagnosis, Keith managed to bring humor to his acceptance speech.
"I bet you never thought y'all'd see me in skinny jeans," he joked about his weight loss due to the cancer. "I want to thank the Almighty for allowing me to be here tonight, he's been riding shotgun with me for a little while now.
"I want to thank my beautiful family that's here...Most of all. I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do. Have a wonderful evening, thank you."
He also admitted to feeling weak on the day of the PCCAs and was "feeling down."
"I had been doing really, really good, and I went to dinner the night before and decided I would try to have a couple glasses of wine, and the next day I was really down. I shouldn't have done that, I guess. I didn't know," he told the Taste of Country website in November.
"I got really sick and almost missed rehearsal, so I was really weak that night. I was on chemo and was battling and it was tough."
Keith remained defiant in the face of his cancer, despite not knowing how long he would live.
"I finally got it in a spot where I'm really comfortable with it. Everything's trending really well right now, and I'm not gonna let this define the rest of my life. If I live to be 100 or I don't, I'm going to go forward," he told the website just two months before his death.
Keith enjoyed a three-decade career with chart-topping hits including, "Should've Been a Cowboy," "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," and "I Love This Bar."
He sold 40 million albums over the course of his career and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Donald Trump in 2021.
Keith is survived by his wife, Tricia Lucas, his three children—daughters Shelley Covel Rowland and Krystal Keith and son Stelen Keith—and four grandchildren.
Update, 02/06/2024, 5:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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