Toby Keith’s longtime agent Elaine Schock said this week following Monday’s death that Toby Keith had been “portrayed a certain way” and was “misunderstood.”
“I loved Toby Keith,” Schock told People magazine on Tuesday. “He was brilliant, fun to be around, and we had good discussions. Plus, he could write and sing his own songs.”
She added: “Toby was kind. I think he was misunderstood because he was portrayed a certain way, but it was the wrong portrait. He was so much more than that. He was definitely one of the best people I know.” He was one of the bravest men ever.”
Keith passed away Monday night after a battle with stomach cancer, his family announced in a statement Tuesday morning.
Toby Keith’s faith was a ‘rock’ after stomach cancer diagnosis: ‘Just pray’
Toby Keith passed away on Monday after a battle with stomach cancer. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images, ACM)
“Toby Keith passed away peacefully last night, February 5th, surrounded by his family,” the statement said.
“He fought his battles with grace and courage.” “Please respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
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Keith was known for hits such as “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” and the post-9/11 patriotic song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”
The song was the beginning of a feud between Keith and The Chicks (formerly of the Dixie Chicks, then singer Natalie Maines), who wrote, “We’ll put a boot in you’re a –, it’s the American way.” “Ignorant.”
Keith responded by saying he didn’t know what he was talking about because he was “not a songwriter,” and jokingly posted fake images of Maines as Saddam Hussein at some of Saddam Hussein’s concerts. Because they were showing it together.
Toby Keith returns to concert stage after stomach cancer diagnosis
Toby Keith wins Album of the Year at CMAs (M. Caulfield/WireImage for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli)
Keith told Contact Music in 2003 that after learning that one of his best friend’s daughters had died of cancer, he began to say “enough is enough” about the feud.
“It seemed so trivial,” he said of their conflict at the time.
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Keith has also performed at events for Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Trump in 2021.
Keith released his last album, Peso in My Pocket, in 2021. The country singer performed her final show in Las Vegas in December.
In 2019, Keith defended himself against critics over his decision to perform at President Trump’s inauguration.
Toby Keith performing in 2023. (Catherine Bomboy/NBC via Getty Images)
“When you go to the inauguration of the president, no matter who it is, that’s what you’re supposed to do,” he told Fox News at the time. “It’s an honor to make history and to be able to do it.”
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Schock added on Tuesday: “I still don’t really know how I’m going to function in a world without Toby. I hate thinking about it.”
