Toby Keith Cancels Cancer Benefit Appearance
Toby Keith will no longer appear in person at a scheduled benefit weekend in Paso Robles, N.M. The singer continues his cancer battle and recovery.
Keith's Toby Keith Foundation is going to be honored this weekend at the SabesWings "Strike Out" benefit. The San Luis Obispo Tribune sources SabesWings spokesperson Matt Heien, who says Keith will no longer be able to attend.
"He is still going through recovery and it is a tough week," Heien says.
Keith's team has kept the details of the star's treatment for stomach cancer private since revealing his diagnosis in June. A profile in the Magazine Lifestyle focused on the Toby Keith Foundation's work and recognition by SabesWings states that he is "cancer-free," but no one from the hitmaker's team would confirm that description to Taste of Country.
All of Keith's concerts for 2022 have been canceled.
In sharing his cancer news, Keith revealed that the diagnosis came last fall, and for six months he'd received chemotherapy and radiation and underwent surgery. "So far, so good," he wrote in an Instagram post earlier this summer. "I need time to breathe, recover and relax."
A handful of additional messages on social media that relate to his health have carried a similar tone of gratitude and optimism. Keith has pressed forward with new music releases — earlier this month, his record label released "Oklahoma Breakdown" from his Peso in My Pocket album (2021) to country radio.
Since sharing the diagnosis, Keith has received a wave of support from fellow country singers and fans. A compilation video shows a wide range of celebrities praying for him, as well as representative fans.