Toby Keith talks about the six months he spent fighting stomach cancer.
Toby Keith recently told his fans some important news about his health that made them sad. The longtime fan favorite just recently told people that he is sick.
The musician from Oklahoma said that he was told he had stomach cancer in the fall of 2021 and has been getting treatment for it since then.
Keith talked about the event in a statement he posted on his social media sites. He said, “I’ve been getting chemo, radiation, and surgery for the last six months. So far, so good. I need time to take a deep breath, rest, and unwind.”
Toby was also quick to thank his fans, even though he was having health problems. “I’m looking forward to spending time with my family,” he said. But I’ll see the fans as soon as possible. I’m so excited. -T.”
It wasn’t clear right away what would happen to Keith’s scheduled performances for the rest of this year. But according to information on his website, his next concert will be in Wheaton, Illinois, on June 17.
The site also said that his most recent album, “Peso in my Pocket,” came out just last year, after he stopped touring because of the Covid pandemic.
At the time, he talked to PEOPLE about his album in an interview. Keith said that he thought of the songs on the album while running, which is his favorite thing to do. He said, “Before I ran, I’d check my phone to see what song ideas I had, and then I’d start running.
The next thing I’d know, my time would be up, and I’d have been working all the time while going over the songs in my head. I’d go home, turn on the recorder on my phone, and write down what I knew.
“It was a great time for me to write,” he said.
The Ohio State Fair confirmed that the show that was supposed to happen on July 28 in Columbus, Ohio, has been moved.
Keith’s publicist, Elaine Schock, said, “At this point, I don’t know how many tour dates will be canceled.”
Toby Keith is a well-known person in the music business. Keith was given the “National Medal of Arts” in 2021. The National Endowment for the Arts says that this is “the highest award the U.S. government gives to artists and arts patrons.”
The National Endowment for the Arts said in a statement that came out in January 2021, “Toby Keith is a singer, songwriter, musician, and humanitarian who has done 11 USO Tours so far. He has 32 number-one hits.”
Keith’s first album came out in 1993. His hits “Red Solo Cup” and “I Wanna Talk About Me” are well-known. After the 9/11 attacks, his song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American),” which came out in 2002, made him well-known.
Keith has put on hundreds of shows for American soldiers stationed overseas, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq. He has also played at events held by Presidents Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.
Keith has been a supporter of people with cancer for a long time. He started the Toby Keith Foundation in 2006 to help children who have cancer. Then, in 2014, the foundation opened “OK Kids Korral,” which, according to its website, is a home for kids with cancer who are getting treatment that is free, easy to get to, and comfortable.