When I saw that Toby Keith had passed away at 62, I was stunned. Somehow it didn’t seem possible.
I’m a country music fan, and his music was part of the soundtrack running in the background of my life. I remember listening to his music with my sister Treasa during the ’90s when he was capturing the attention of so many people.
When Toby sang about how he should’ve been a cowboy, Treasa and I sang right along—even though we couldn’t have lived farther from cows and cowboys. There was something about the way that Toby delivered a song, though, that made you feel like part of the story. And we were definitely along for the ride.
My father had introduced me to country stars like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline when I was a child. Then, in the late-1990s, when I was a new college graduate—and newspaper reporter—I spent part of every day driving from interview to interview. I realized quickly that the best radio stations in central Pennsylvania all played country music, and I started listening.
That era for country music was rich with talent and variety. Toby Keith’s music stood out. His songs were rich with narratives and personality—and he was so different. No one else was like Toby Keith.
Toby could present a song with poignant emotion, but he also had incredible skill for putting humor into his music. Some artists can’t put across such a variety of pieces, but Toby did—and I appreciated that about him. He was so very human.
You could also tell Toby wasn’t the kind of person who would be boxed in or held back in any way. I was finding my way on my first steps into adulthood, and I was struck by how he threw himself into what he did. He was so confident and self-aware, someone who was doing what he loved to do—and did well. And he was sharing his talents with all of us.
Toby was always bigger than life, full of strength, and maybe a little intimidating. Somehow, I never thought someone who seemed so strong could die at such a young age. He had to be invincible. But of course, he wasn’t. None of us know how much time we have—and Toby must have been aware that he might not have much time.
Just a few weeks ago, Toby gave an interview with News 9, a TV station in Oklahoma. The reporter asked him what keeps him going.
“Faith, you have to have your faith. Thank God that I got it, too,” he told her. “You take it for granted on days that things are good. And then you lean on it on days that things are bad. [Cancer has] taught me to lean on it a little more every day.”
May we remember to lean on our faith a little more every day, too. Thank you, Toby Keith.
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