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Dolly Parton shared a heartfelt tribute in memory of fellow country music legend Toby Keith, who has died following a years-long battle with stomach cancer. He was 62.
“It’s always hard when we lose our brothers and sisters in country music,” Parton wrote in the statement posted to her social media pages on Tuesday (February 6), adding a red heart emoji in her caption. “Toby Keith was one of the greats in every way. He will be missed but his music and legacy will live on.”
Keith “passed peacefully last night on Feb. 5 surrounded by his family,” according to a statement posted to the late artist’s social media accounts in the early morning hours on Tuesday. “He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time.” The Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter revealed in June 2022 that he’d been diagnosed with cancer the previous fall, and would take time off to rest and spend time with his family.
Parton is one of many artists and fans in the country music community to remember Keith in an outpouring of tributes on Tuesday. Others include Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson and many more. Dan + Shay posted a video performing a stunning tribute to the late legend. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney — who said this song was one of the first he learned on guitar, and remains “one of my favorites of all time” — performed a moving rendition of “She Never Cried in Front of Me.” Keith included the heartbreak ballad on That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy in 2008. It added to tons of career-spanning hits throughout Keith’s career, since his debut in the early 1990s. Classic hits by Keith include “I Love This Bar,” “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” “God Love Her,” “Beer For My Horses” with Willie Nelson, “As Good As I Once Was,” “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” “My list” and many others.