In the last couple of years, I've developed a habit of scrolling through Instagram before I hit anything else online that day. I don't do any politics or heavy stuff there, so it's kind of my digital happy place.
On Tuesday morning, Instagram greeted me with the jarring news that modern country legend Toby Keith had succumbed to cancer.
Toby Keith, the country singer who scored the genre’s most-played song of the ’90s with “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” died on Monday night of stomach cancer. He was 62.
The news was announced on Keith’s official website as well as his social media channels. “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5, surrounded by his family,” the statement reads. “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”
In June 2022, Keith revealed that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. “I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery,” Keith wrote at the time. “So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.”
Keith wasn't too public with his cancer fight. Even though fans knew it was ongoing, people were still shocked by the news.
Toby Keith was one of the more likeable personalities in all of entertainment in the last 30 years or so. In an age when so many entertainers think of themselves as political crusaders who are here to teach the common people what's what, one never got the feeling that Toby Keith took himself too seriously. He's the guy you knew you could have a beer with if you bumped into him in a bar.
I've always been a hardcore country music fan, so I was aware of Keith as soon as he hit the scene with "Should've Been a Cowboy" in the early '90s. His 1999 hit "How Do You Like Me Now?" was a favorite as well.
In 2002, Keith released "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)," which immediately became my favorite song (it'll be the video at the end of Wednesday's Morning Briefing). I spent years hoping beyond hope that it would one day replace Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." at conservative gatherings.
After that song, I became a huge Toby Keith fan. Sadly, I never got to see him live. Back then, I was a divorced dad living in Los Angeles. There wasn't a lot of discretionary income for things like concerts, movies, or six-inch sandwiches from Subway even if I had a coupon. I do have a kinda/sorta Toby Keith story though.
After I got divorced in the early aughts, I took some time away from touring and entered the corporate world so that I could be there for my young daughter as we navigated the new extended family stuff. As you might imagine, I was not the greatest fit in corporate America. I tried to avoid anything having to do with stand-up or entertainment in general because it just hurt too much at the time.
One night deep into this unfortunate corporate phase of mine, I was at a bar in the Valley (I think it was Studio City) having drinks with a friend of mine. She's even more gregarious than I am, and we were soon in conversation with half the bar. A lot of them were from Toby Keith's road crew. I honestly don't remember if they were just passing through or had an upcoming show somewhere in L.A.
My friend mentioned to them that I was a comedian, and we were soon swapping road stories. We ended up going back to the hotel where they were staying (and where the tour buses were parked) to drink and shoot the showbiz breeze all night. All of them said they loved being on tour with Keith because he was such a great guy.
I didn't start going back on the road immediately after that, but that night is what got me thinking about it again.
This is a huge loss for fans of country music. Many a Red Solo Cup full of beer will be hoisted in Toby Keith's honor in the coming days. I'm not even going to wait until it gets dark before doing that here.
May this true country music icon rest forever in peace. I'll leave you with a fave Toby Keith song of mine, one that grows on me more every year that I get older.
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