Toby Keith: Country Star Behind Should've Been a Cowboy Dies at 62

Toby Keith was an American country singer-songwriter known for patriotic anthems and honky-tonk party songs. Born Toby Keith Covel on July 8, 1961, in Clinton, Oklahoma, he worked in the oil fields and played semi-pro football before turning to music.

His debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," went to No. 1 on the country chart in 1993. Over his career Keith had 42 top-10 country hits, including 33 No. 1s, and released 19 studio albums selling more than 44 million copies worldwide. "How Do You Like Me Now?!" was the top country song of 2000, and he won the ACM Top Male Vocalist award in 2001.

Keith founded the label Show Dog Nashville in 2005 and appeared in several films. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the National Medal of Arts in 2021. He and his wife, Tricia Lucus, had three children, including singer Krystal Keith. He announced his stomach cancer diagnosis in 2022. He died in his sleep in Oklahoma on February 5, 2024, at age 62, and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame just hours before.

Achievements: "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993), 33 No. 1 country hits, ACM Top Male Vocalist (2001), Songwriters Hall of Fame (2015), National Medal of Arts (2021).

Birth: July 8, 1961 - Clinton, Oklahoma.

Profession: Country singer-songwriter.

Interesting Facts: He co-founded the Toby Keith Foundation and Ally's House, which support children with cancer and their families. He had a public feud with the Dixie Chicks after his 2002 song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."