He cultivated an in-your-face persona with hits like “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” He announced in 2022 that he had cancer.
Toby Keith, the larger-than-life singer-songwriter of No. 1 country hits like “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Made in America” and one of the biggest stars to come out of Nashville in three decades, died on Monday. He was 62.
His death was announced on his official website. The announcement did not say where he died. Elaine Schock, Mr. Keith’s publicist, said only that he died in Oklahoma, where he had lived his entire life.
Mr. Keith announced in the summer of 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and that he was being treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
In a recent interview with the Oklahoma City television station KWTV, Mr. Keith, who played a run of shows in Las Vegas in December, said he was still in treatment. “Cancer is a roller coaster,” he said. “You just sit here and wait on it to go away — it may not ever go away.” He said his Christian faith was helping him get through the treatment and the potential dark outcome.
Singing in an alternately declamatory and crooning baritone, Mr. Keith cultivated a boisterous, in-your-face persona with recordings like “I Wanna Talk About Me” and “Beer for My Horses.”
Built around clever wordplay and droll humor — and more than a little macho bluster — both topped the Billboard country chart, with “Beer for My Horses,” a twangy, Rolling Stones-style rocker that featured Willie Nelson as guest vocalist, crossing over to the pop Top 40.
