CINCINNATI.COM – After a year of battling cancer, country music star Toby Keith took the stage at a well-known area restaurant.
On Friday, Nov. 4, Keith surprised patrons with an impromptu performance at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in Lexington.
Keith and Ruby performed a duet of the song “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, which the musician said was a favorite of Ruby’s.
Keith also performed his 2003 chart-topper, “I Love This Bar,” Lynyrd Skynard’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and more.
The Oklahoma native was in Lexington for the 2022 Breeders’ Cup, which took place on Friday and Saturday at Keeneland. Earlier in the day, Ruby shared a photo with Keith from Keeneland.
Toby Keith’s cancer diagnosis
In June 2022, Keith announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of 2021, having undergone chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for the past six months.
“I am looking forward to spending this time with my family. But I will see the fans sooner than later. I can’t wait,” he wrote on Instagram.
Since his diagnosis, Keith has remained in the public eye … READ MORE.
ORIGINAL STORY, SEP 16, 2022:
Toby Keith’s Cancer Takes A Turn For The Worse; “It Is A Tough Week”
TASTE OF COUNTRY – 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.
