Hit country music star Toby Keith, 62, lost his battle with stomach cancer Monday morning. His death was announced both on social media site X and his official website. 

“Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5, surrounded by his family,” the statement said. “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”

Keith announced his cancer diagnosis in 2022 and proceeded to do many performances following the announcement, the most recent being his December performance in Las Vegas in 2023. 

Keith saw his rise to fame in the 1990s and was known to argue publicly with other celebrities and record labels that wanted him to “change his rugged appearance” according to the Associated Press. 

Keith hit the Billboard Top 20 many times in his career, but his most notable songs include: “Red Solo Cup”, “How Do You Like Me Now?”, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”, and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”

His inspiration for his songs came from his lived experiences, and he wrote about things that he knew, and about feelings he was familiar with. 

“I write about life, and I sing about life, and I don’t overanalyze things,” Keith told The Associated Press. 

Keith is known in the music industry as a happy-go-lucky and down-to-earth person, even after receiving the news of his diagnosis. After the news of his death, many other country music artists took to social media to share their condolences and fond memories they shared either with Keith directly or with their families and his music. 

“Cancer is a roller coaster,” Keith said in an interview with KWTV just last month. “You just sit here and wait on it to go away. It might never go away.”