U.S. singer, Toby Keith, dies at 62

United States music star, Toby Keith, has been confirmed dead at the age of 62.

A post on Keith’s X account on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, said the singer died on Monday night.

The post read: “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 singer best known for his 1993 hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” announced in 2022 he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, saying he needed time to “breathe, recover and relax”.

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Born on July 8, 1961, Keith was an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer.

He released his first four studio albums – 1993’s Toby Keith, 1994’s Boomtown, 1996’s Blue Moon, and 1997’s Dream Walkin’, plus a Greatest Hits package – for various divisions of Mercury Records before leaving Mercury in 1998. The albums all earned Gold or higher certification.

Keith released 19 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, totaling worldwide sales of over 40 million albums.

He had charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 20 number one hits and 22 additional top 10 hits. His longest-lasting number one hits are “Beer for My Horses” (a 2003 duet with Willie Nelson) and “As Good as I Once Was” (2005), at six weeks each.

Toby Keith was awarded the National Medal of Arts by former U.S. President, Donald Trump, in a closed ceremony alongside Ricky Skaggs on January 13, 2021.

The Star