Editor’s note: In 2023, reporter Brandy McDonnell, from the Oklahoman, sat down with Toby Keith for his final interview with the USA TODAY Network . Keith, then 61, was remaining optimistic in the throes of his stomach cancer battle, which he faced since he was diagnosed in 2021. Upon news of Keith’s death , we are resurfacing the conversation.
NORMAN, Okla. — From the Riverwind Casino stage, Toby Keith ‘s voice rang out with enough strength and clarity to carry to the green room.
The country music superstar wasn’t singing, but he was playing a familiar gig: hosting a laidback live auction June 2 as part of the 19th annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic weekend . His two-day hometown charity event raises funds for the Toby Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral, a cost-free home-away-from-home for children with cancer seeking treatment in Oklahoma City.
Three weeks after last year’s fundraiser, Keith revealed that he had been battling stomach cancer since fall 2021 and had already spent the past six months undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.