Toby Keith is keeping his spirits high amid his fight against cancer.
The 62-year-old country star stepped out on Sept. 28 to attend the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Keith, dressed in a black suit with a white button-up and cowboy hat, posed for photos with wife Tricia Lucus while on the red carpet before sharing a health update.
“I feel pretty good,” Keith, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in the fall of 2021, told E! News. “It’s a little bit of a roller coaster. You get good days and, you know, you’re up and down, up and down. It’s always zero to 60 and 60 to zero but I feel good today.”
It’s a big night for the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” crooner. He received the first Country Icon Award during the ceremony.
Keith also took the stage to perform “Don’t Let the Old Man In” from Clint Eastwood’s movie “The Mule.” When asked on the red carpet why he chose that specific song to sing, he replied that it had to do with his cancer battle.
“Well, mainly because I’ve been going through my cancer fight for the last couple of years and it’s really inspiring for a lot of people,” he said during NBC’s pre-show event. “And coming back on TV for the first time and performing live in front of a live audience, I thought it was fitting.”
As for being recognized during the telecast, he added that it’s “really nice” to receive the honor.
“Looking at the videos and seeing 30 years, all the stuff we’ve amassed over those years (it’s) pretty crazy because it really went by fast because I’m working all the time,” he said.
The tribute to the country singer started with Blake Shelton performing Keith’s song, “Who’s Your Daddy?”
“Take a look everybody, the first ever Country Icon. Mr. Toby Keith,” Shelton said after his performance, as he pointed to Keith, who was standing up and clapping. A video montage was then shown, celebrating his career and legacy.
After a few kind and humorous words by Shelton about how much he admires Keith, the celebrated singer took the stage to accept the award.
“I want to thank the almighty for allowing me to be here tonight,” Keith began. “We’ve been riding shotgun for a little while.”
He went on to thank his “beautiful” family. “A lot of people go in and make it a big career like this for 30 years,” he said, thanking his team “and everybody that’s all behind this thing. All the great musicians that have played on all these albums, in the studios, they’ve poured their heart and soul into what I do. And most of all, I want to thank the fans for still allowing us to do what we do.”
Keith’s wife became emotional during his performance as he sang lyrics about growing older.
“And I knew all of my life/ That someday it would end
Get up and go outside/Don’t let the old man in
Many moons I have lived/My body’s weathered and worn
Ask yourself how would you be/If you didn’t know the day you were born,” he sang.
In June, Keith shared an update on his health, telling “The Oklahoman” that the tumor in his stomach had shrunk by a third and his blood tests looked good.
“I’m about another eight weeks from my last scan. So I expect next time I look for that tumor to be even less — and I’ve only got one that’s shown up,” he said. “Basically, everything is in a real positive trend.”
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