Over the weekend, country music star Toby Keith revealed that he had been battling stomach cancer for the past six months with a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Telling fans that he’s looking forward to “recovering and relaxing” with his family, and that he’ll see his fans again soon, it appears that the prognosis is good, but nevertheless, cancer is cruel beast that has affected nearly all of us in one way or another.
He shared the following statement on Instagram:
“Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last 6 months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery.
So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.
I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait.”
And at the time of the announcement, his website still listed a number of tour dates throughout the rest of 2022, including a number of festival dates, however they have since all been removed.
As expected, Toby will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, but hopefully he’s back to performing for sellout crowds sooner rather than later.
Say what you want about his music, or his politics for that matter, Toby Keith is an iconic country music artist whose catalog spends three decades. Selling over 40 million albums, Keith has charted over 60 signals, including 20 Number Ones, multiple ACM Entertainer of the Year Awards, Grammy nominations and lifetime achievement awards.
The 60 year old country singer recently raised over a million dollars at his annual charity golf tournament, with funds going directly to kids battling pediatric cancers:
“The Toby Keith and Friends Golf Classic took place a few weeks ago in Oklahoma.
Every dollar has been counted and the grand total is in: they raised $1.38 million dollars for the Toby Keith Foundation, one of the highest totals yet!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the event – both in person and virtually.”