Toby Keith Dead at 62: Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean & More Country Stars React

The "Should've Been a Cowboy" singer appeared at the People's Choice Country Awards this past September, where he took home the Country Music Icon Award. At the time, the notably slimmer Keith joked, "Bet you thought you'd never see me in skinny jeans."

Keith first opened up about his diagnosis in June 2022, saying at the time he was doing well, but needed time to "breathe, recover and relax," per TMZ. He said he'd been dealing with the disease since the previous fall and had undergone chemo and radiation therapy.

In November 2022, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that things were going well, saying he needed "time to just rest up and heal up" as "it's pretty debilitating to go through all that."

The voice of a generation in country music, Keith was known for a down-and-dirty sound and fearless approach to the music. Some of his most famous songs include his debut, "Should've Been a Cowboy," as well as "Red Solo Cup," "As Good as I Once Was," "I Wanna Talk About Me," "I Love This Bar," and his duet with Willie Nelson, "Beer for My Horses."

Across his 30-year career, Keith released 19 studio albums, six compilations, and two Christmas albums. He enjoyed 20 No.1 hits along the way.

Following the news of his death, the country music world and beyond took to social media to pay tribute.

Carrie Underwood shared a series of photos of herself and Keith on Instagram.

"Saddle up the horses, Jesus, 'cause a true blue COWBOY just made his ride up to heaven!!!" she captioned the post. "Introduce him to all the Okies and sign that boy up for the choir! We're gonna miss you, Toby, but my heart has no doubt that you are standing in the presence of our King right now!!! See you again someday, friend."

Jason Aldean honored Keith on X, posting photos of himself and the late singer, including a shot of him performing with Keith on stage.

"Just waking up to the news of Toby Keith's passing. Today is a sad day for Country music and its fans," he wrote alongside the photos. "Toby was a huge presence in our business and someone we all looked up to and respected. You and your music will be forever remembered big man."

Fellow country stars Zach Bryan and Luke Combs also paid tribute on X.

"too many rides in my old man's car listening to Toby Keith. really hard thing to hear rest in peace friend we love you," Bryan wrote, while Combs said, "Damn, RIP Toby. Cant believe it."

Meanwhile, several celebrities reacted to Keith's death in the comments section of the Instagram announcement of his passing.

"I loved him as a musician. A great Oklahoman," Kristin Chenoweth wrote, while Stephen Baldwin commented, "Wow this announcement has totally taken my breath away I've been praying for Toby and it is truly wonderful to know he is finally home praise Jesus ✝️."

"💔 💔. My deepest condolences to the entire family. What a legend he was," Lance Armstrong said.

Singer Kid Rock paid tribute to Keith while speaking with Fox & Friends on Tuesday morning.

"He was such an incredible talent, and he loved his family like he loved his country. And we should not forget what a fun guy he was," he said, before recalling how he and Keith would perform for troops overseas. "We used to joke about who went over there more because me and him definitely have tens, if not 20 times, that we had been there. Spending Christmas and Thanksgiving, just whenever we were called we went to do it."

Meanwhile, the Country Music Hall of Fame released a statement in the wake of Keith's passing.

"Toby Keith was big, brash, and never bowed down or slowed down for anyone," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "His story is a distinctly American one -- a former roughneck oil worker who carved out his own space in country music with a sinewy voice and an unbending will to succeed. He wrote his breakthrough songs and later formed his own record label when he felt underserved by Nashville. He relished being an outsider and doing things his way. Proudly patriotic, he didn’t mind if his clear-cut convictions ruffled your feathers. For three decades, he reflected the defiant strength of the country music audience. His memory will continue to stand tall."

Read on for more tributes.