Toby Keith played his final show before his death at 62 on December 14, 2023. The singer capped off a long and successful career with three epic concerts at the Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada two months before his death on Monday, February 5. The singer celebrated the three gigs by sharing a montage on Instagram near the end of the year. “3 sold out shows in Vegas was a damn good way to end the year,” he wrote.
As 2023 drew to a close, Toby had shared a backstage photo of a pre-show huddle with his band and crew. “Been one hell of a year with a lot to be grateful for. Here’s to 2024!” he wrote in the caption, in addition to the montage video. The final song that the country superstar performed was his 2002 hit “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American),” according to Setlist.fm. The show also had many of Toby’s other hits, including “Red Solo Cup” and “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” and he also seemed to pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett, who had passed that September, with a cover of “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude.”
When Toby first went public with his cancer diagnosis in June 2022, he took some time off from his touring schedule to undergo treatment and spend time with his family. A few months after announcing that he had cancer, Toby did do a few pop-up performances, and he said that he was planning on hitting the road again in the near future. “I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait,” he told CMT Hot 20 Countdown in November 2022, per People. “I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up.”
Toby’s family announced that he had died in a statement on Tuesday, February 6. “Toby Keith passed peacefully last night on February 5th, surrounded by his family,” they said in a post on social media. “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.”