Country singer Toby Keith died last night at the age of 62.

“He fought his fight with grace and courage. Please respect the privacy of his family at this time,” said in a statement by his family on social media.

Keith revealed in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.

In September last year, he spoke of the roller coaster experience of going through treatment.

“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,” Keith told E! News ahead of receiving the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards.

Keith continued to record and perform through his illness, appearing live over three nights in Las Vegas in December. Visibly thin but in good voice, Keith sang many of his 32 No. 1 hits and 42 Top 10 hits.

Born in Clinton, Oklahoma, and raised in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Keith emerged as a country artist in the early 1990s and went on to become an icon of the genre. He sold between 25 million and 30 million records in the United States, depending on varying estimates, and his songs had more than 10 billion digital streaming plays.

His first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” was written in a motel bathroom in Dodge City, Kansas.

Taken from his self-titled debut album, it came out in 1993 and shot to the top of the country charts in the United States and Canada, going on to become one of the most-played tunes on radio throughout the 1990s and beyond.

His other hits included “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson, “I Love This Bar” and “Red Solo Cup.”

Keith is survived by his wife, Tricia, three children, and four grandchildren.