Introduction:
When news broke that Oklahoma’s own Toby Keith had passed away at just 62, the shock rippled far beyond the borders of his home state. He had been a giant—of country music, of American spirit, and of uncompromising honesty. But for Robin Marsh, the longtime Oklahoma City journalist who interviewed him only weeks before his death, it was more than news. It was heartbreak wrapped in gratitude.
Her conversation with him—now one of the final interviews he ever gave—offers an intimate window into the man Toby Keith became during his last three years: a fighter, a believer, and a teacher.
A Phone Call That Became a Gift
The interview nearly didn’t happen. Marsh caught sight of Toby during a casual livestream and asked a mutual friend—fellow Oklahoman Ed Murray—to pass along her interest in talking with him about his cancer journey.
Days later, she heard her phone ring.
“I was told to call you,” Toby said simply.
For all his fame, for all his chart-topping swagger, Toby Keith remained startlingly direct. Even frail, even sick, his dry humor survived everything.
What followed, Marsh now realizes, was not merely an interview. It was a man laying down his final message—a message he hoped the world would carry for him long after he was gone.
Las Vegas: The Show That Should Have Been Impossible
In December, Toby performed three nights in Las Vegas. The public saw a triumphant return; those close to him knew it was a miracle.
“He was so thin,” Marsh remembers. “But he walked onstage like it was opening night of his career.”
He moved with intention—not to prove something for himself, but to give something back. After the interview and after that Las Vegas run, Marsh realized that these performances were not for his benefit.
“He did it for the fans. For the people who loved the music. For the ones who fought cancer and needed to see someone like him fight back. For anyone who needed hope.”
Every note became part of a farewell, though no one dared say it aloud.
The Fight He Kept Quiet—and the Families Who Knew It Best
Toby Keith rarely allowed himself to be vulnerable in public. But cancer made him identify deeply with the families he served through his charitable foundation.
OK Kids Korral—the home-away-from-home he built for children battling cancer—became painfully personal after his diagnosis in 2021.
“He hated that children had to endure what he was enduring,” Marsh said. “He said he understood them now. He understood the fear, the exhaustion, the chemo, the radiation.”
And because he understood it, he doubled down on helping.
One night at a fundraiser, as his own body fought a private war, the foundation raised more than $2 million.
Success never defined Toby. But giving back did.
Faith: The Legacy He Chose
For a man who had 42 Top 10 hits, 32 No. 1 songs, and more than 10 billion streams, Toby Keith seemed far more interested in talking about something else entirely—his faith.
When Marsh asked whether he had found peace during his illness, his answer was soft but sure:
“I do.”
He said he had reached a point where he could accept whatever came next. His faith held him together in a way that fame, money, and applause never could.
“He told me he didn’t know how people without faith faced cancer,” Marsh recalled. “That belief carried him.”
Toby often said that every hardship becomes part of a testimony. At the end of the interview, Marsh shared that with him.
“You’re right,” he told her. “If I can be a messenger, then I take that role proudly.”
The Final Days
In late January, he appeared at an Oklahoma basketball game—thin, quiet, but present. He waved to fans. He smiled. He stayed longer than anyone expected.
He was making memories—not for himself, but for the people who cherished him.
On February 5th, Toby Keith passed away peacefully, surrounded by his wife of 40 years, Tricia, his three children, and the grandchildren he adored and bragged about endlessly. The announcement came from his family: he fought “with grace and courage.”
The words fit him perfectly.
A Legacy That Lives Where It Matters Most
Country radio will remember the showman.
Fans will remember the patriot.
Oklahoma will remember the hometown hero.
But Robin Marsh believes Toby himself would want to be remembered a little differently.
As a believer.
As a husband.
As a father.
As a man who used the hardest chapter of his life to help others through theirs.
“He taught us how to live,” she said softly.
“And he taught us how to face whatever comes, with courage and with faith.”
Toby Keith’s music will echo for generations.
But his faith—private, steady, unshakable—may be the legacy that lasts the longest.